Students Ditching Math, Physics, Chemistry, Engineering

0:00It's April 19th. This is Sydney News Today, powered by AI. Over 8,000 students ditch advance mathematics last year before their final higher school certificate exams in New South Wales. That's about a third of everyone enrolled in Year 11, dropping it by Year 12. Meanwhile, more than a quarter of Year 11 kids in physics, chemistry, and engineering also bailed on those subjects before Year 12, according. Two enrollment numbers from the New South Wales Education Standards Authority. Experts point out this trend hits hard, despite Australia's big push to grow the science, technology, engineering, and math workforce for better. Innovation and Jobs Math Consultant Miriam Lee says, advance math builds the calculus skills and critical thinking needed to handle university courses. Students like 16-year-old Jasmine Edwards and 17-year-old Stevie Crosby switched to the easier math levels because the workload felt too, intense and not worth it without clear career plans.

1:00They blamed tougher content, lack of time, and parents pushing ambitious choices over teacher advice. According to officials, kids tweak subjects based on shifting post-school goals, their passion for the material, or just matching their real, abilities, raising questions about early guidance in schools.