In a letter sent to principals, NESA said it would not make maths compulsory for Year 11 and 12 students.

The former NSW Government in 2019 had planned to make maths compulsory for all students including those in Years 11 and 12.

A NESA spokesperson said that in line with the implementation of the Kindergarten to Year 12 Mathematics curricula, the Authority will “commence an assessment of the HSC minimum standard”.

The HSC minimum standard is the level of reading, writing and numeracy required for New South Wales students to gain the Higher School Certificate (HSC).

“Recognising that maths and numeracy skills need to be addressed as early as possible, this assessment will consider the effectiveness, timing and current requirements of the HSC minimum standard,” a spokesperson told the ABC.

The assessment will also “propose options to better help teachers identify students” and “address potential learning gaps earlier in their secondary education.”

These recommendations are expected to be introduced in 2025.

The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEUA) has welcomed the announcement.

“At a time when teacher shortages are at record highs, this decision is a sensible response,” Carol Matthews, secretary of the IEUA NSW/ACT Branch, said in a statement.

Matthews said with an already serious shortage of science, technology, engineering and mathematics teachers, with teachers of other subjects taking classes out of their field of expertise it’s a sensible decision.

The shortage, she explained, is particularly problematic with the higher levels of mathematics in Years 11 and 12 and would have been exacerbated considerably if maths were made compulsory.

“Compulsory maths would have effectively made six out of the 10 units of study compulsory in many non-government schools,” Matthews said.

“The unintended consequence of limiting student subject choice would mean reduced enrolment in a range of other subjects.”

The IEU, which represents more than 32,000 teachers and support staff in non-government schools, has been opposed to compulsory mathematics since it was proposed in 2019 and has instead called for increased professional development resources for primary school teachers to ensure students get the best possible start to their study of mathematics.

“The IEU commends NESA and the NSW Government for its consultative approach that will ensure positive outcomes for students and teachers,” Matthews said.

Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said when the previous NSW Government announced the decision in 2019 it has done so “without any consultation” and “ never took any steps to move forward or implement [it]”.

“At the same time, they were presiding over a chronic teacher shortage across the state, particularly in mathematics,” Car said in a statement.

Then-New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said at the time the decision was her Government “taking the first steps to deliver” on a commitment to take the curriculum “back to basics” by prioritising maths.

Following the statement, the Mathematics Association of NSW (MANSW) urged the Government “to investigate the shortage of trained mathematics teachers as a priority” and to “develop a strategy to address this issue before introducing compulsory mathematics in Years 11 and 12”. “.

While there is no confirmed date for mathematics to become compulsory, the most recent timetable for Year 12 students to sit compulsory mathematics exams in the HSC is 2026.

Car said the Minns Government is instead focused on “developing early interventions to ensure every student is supported to develop important numeracy skills before they leave school.”

“If the previous government had wanted to improve maths results, it would have addressed the teacher shortage crisis rather than announcing thought bubbles with no plan to achieve them,” she said.

Association of Independent Schools of New South Wales (AISNSW) CEO Margery Evans, meanwhile, said the HSC was about getting students to choose their top 10 units of study.

“Making mathematics compulsory reduces students’ freedom to pursue subjects that best suit their interests and abilities,” he said.

“More than 60,000 students, or 85 per cent of the HSC cohort, studied a Mathematics subject in 2023.”

Evans said AISNSW also supports the re-evaluation of the HSC Minimum Standard to “consider its effectiveness”.