Early Edition with Kate Hawkesby

There's a concerning drop off in the number of students taking algebra at high school. Victoria University of Wellington research shows the number of Year 11 students enrolled in level 1 algebra, dropped from 64 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2019. Nanogirl Dr. Michelle Dickinson told Tim Dower some students don't understand how important these subjects are to their future careers. “Universities will require decent levels of mathematics to study lots of programmes, and when you’re doing entry-level mathematics, you’re probably not even thinking about what course I'm going to do at university.” There's also a thought that an overly difficult Level 1 Algebra exam in 2016, may have put students off. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.