Some parents believe that learning mathematics at school is redundant and should not be taught while others believe it should remain a fundamental subject whether or not it is used later in life. Discuss both views and give your opinion v.1

With modern inventions like calculators needs of basic arithmetic are addressed very easily. However, mathematics has over the years played a fundamental role in providing quantifiable expressions to the most simplest daily transactions as well as to complicated scientific phenomena. It thus becomes necessary to inculcate the familiarity with mathematics at an early age in a child's pedagogic life. It is true, that in many walks of life a person may not require knowledge of various complexities of mathematics such as trigonometry, calculus etc. It begs the question whether to introduce a child to mathematics which he may not use in the future or any other subject in which he wants to pursue his career. It must also be noted many children complain about mathematics being very tough and negative results in mathematics may affect a child's confidence in tackling other subjects as well. Given all of that, it is important to understand the role mathematics plays in a modern human beings life. Mathematics finds application in the simplest form such as day to day financial transactions and also complicated ones like stock markets where everything is based on complex calculations. In such a scenario is becomes necessary to have the basic understanding of the fundamentals of mathematics. Scientific discoveries such as the phenomenon of Gravity by Newton had to be defined mathematically for better understanding. Should mathematics, then be completely dispensed with? While it is debatable to the extent and complexity in which mathematics must be taught in schools, one must recognise that it is an integral part of education and should not be completely removed from school syllabus.