Although mathematics is the oldest science and appears to be the most enduring, the teaching of mathematics today must evolve in order to adapt to our society’s needs, whether these concern training (learning to reason and to manipulate complex systems) or the mastery of the latest computer technology. What should be the goals and the contents of the mathematics syllabus from primary school to university? What changes should be undertaken to accompany and prepare for future developments in science and technology? What should be done to improve the interdisciplinary links between mathematics and the rest of the syllabus? And how should the initial training, competitive recruitment and further education of maths teachers evolve and develop?

This book is the fruit of several months’ work by a committee, presided by the mathematician Jean-Pierre Kahane, on the future of the teaching of mathematics. The study, commissioned by the French Ministry of Education, Research and Technology, made several recommendations and suggestions, which are given here, concerning the general reform of the teaching of mathematics at all levels.