Why does the school system struggle against illiteracy and ignore the equally crucial task of fighting against innumeracy? That is the question that Stella Baruk answers here, pinpointing the underlying causes with great precision. After analysing children’s schoolwork in mathematics, she shows why it is the school system — and not the children — which is at fault.
The reforms of the system that are proposed here result from the author’s firm conviction that when mathematics are taught in a way that makes sense, children can master the subject and even learn to love it.

Stella Baruk is a mathematics teacher specialising in pedagogical research.