Argumentative Thesis Statement:

High-level Mathematics in Secondary Education should not be removed because students

would not be globally competitive, strategic and creative thinking skills would not be enhanced

and developed and professionals in this particular field will lose their jobs.

Outline: Removal of High-level Mathematics in Secondary Education

1.0 Introduction

1.1 Background information of the issue

1.2 Nature of Mathematics

1.3 Introduction of the issue

1.4 Argumentative Thesis Statement

2.0 Body

2.1 Summary of Counterclaims

2.2 Claims

2.2.1 Students would not be globally competitive

2.2.2 Students would not develop their creative thinking skills

2.2.3 Professionals in this field will lose their jobs

3.0 Conclusion

3.1 Restatement of the thesis statement

3.2 Mathematics as an important aspect to people’s life

3.3 Summary of the claims

Negatives to Positives
 One of the platforms of the elected President Rodrigo Duterte was the removal of high-

level Mathematics particularly the Algebra, Calculus and Trigonometry in secondary education

curriculum and be replaced by Business Mathematics because most Filipinos suffer from Math

anxiety and Business Mathematics is more useful and practical subject. Mathematics is the

science of patterns and relationships. As an academic discipline, Mathematics explores the

possible relationships among abstractions without concern for whether those abstractions have

counterparts in the real world. (Herbert, 1988.) According to Science for all Americans (2010), it

finds useful applications in business, industry, music, historical scholarship, politics, sports,

medicine, agriculture, engineering, and the social and natural sciences. Is the removal of high-

level Mathematics efficient or ineffective? High-level Mathematics in Secondary Education is

ineffective because students would not be globally competitive, strategic and creative thinking

skills would not be developed and professionals in this particular field will lose their jobs.

Math has become an inseparable part to every people’s lives. However, most people are

suffering anxiety because of high-level Mathematics. They claim that learning unnecessary

numbers and signs in Mathematics does not serve any useful and practical purpose. This

Mathematics will just make it hard for the students in finishing their studies because this subject

requires a lot of concentration and thinking that may result to complication. They also claim that

students should not be pressured in school with “sine, cosine” as these are not applicable when

they search for their jobs.

Mathematics plays a very important role in people’s daily life. It is the reason why most

persons are proficient in terms of rational and logical thinking. According to Katelyn Duazon, a

professional Mathematics teacher, studying and learning it would improve the knowledge of the

students that would result them to be more successful and proficient that they can be globally
competitive because of the comprehension they can gain and removing it would only prevent

them from achieving it. She also stated that based from her experience as a Mathematics teacher,

she observed that this particular subject is powerful because it requires the students to analyze a

certain problem that could change the world. Certainly, removing high-level Mathematics would

just stop people in the possibility to be a globally competent student that would make them more

successful in their lives. Queenie Chua, a researcher from Inquirer, stated that the Philippines do

not go behind in the rest of the world in Mathematics and Science expertise, as shown by

Filipino students’ well scores in global tests similar to the 2004 Trends in International Math and

Sciences Study.

The removal of high-level Mathematics would prevent the students in developing their

strategic and creative thinking skills. Mathematics relies on both logic and creativity, and it is

pursued both for a variety of practical purposes and for its intrinsic interest. For some people,

and not only professional mathematicians, the essence of mathematics lies in its beauty and its

intellectual challenge. (American Association, 1989). As what had this Science Association

stated, Mathematics has many roles and is used for various purpose. Some says that this high-

level Mathematics has no any purpose in searching for the job and for practical purposes instead

they will just focus on Business Mathematics. In business, Algebra and Trigonometry is needed

in order to learn it and removing this would mean removing business Mathematics. Overall,

abolishing Mathematics would only cause lack of proficiency to the students in achieving their

goals. Susan Aquino, an Engineer, states that Mathematics develops the mind and its creative

and strategic thinking. It is the fundamental factor in exercising one’s mind to understand and

analyze a problem critically. “Mathematics makes the invisible visible.” (Keith Davlin, 2015).

This statement only proves that anything that is hard to visualize can be visible when it is
thought creatively and logically. By applying one’s strategic thinking, he or she can make

invisible things visible. Mathematics education is considered by Mathematicians to be an integral

part of the discipline of mathematics. This is the point that is made by Dr. Hyman Bass, president

of the AMS (American Mathematical Society--the main research group representing U.S.

mathematicians). 

Professionals in this particular field will lose their jobs if high-level of Mathematics

would be removed. Most Filipino knows that Philippines do not have enough job spaces to those

graduates and removing it would cause a problem in the country’s economy. Mary Jane Lucas, a

Mathematics Professor in the Miriam College, states that they chose to be a professional in this

field because it is their passion and it is their source of living and as a professor, it is their duty to

help and teach the students in developing their mind because this will help them in the future.

Indeed, Mathematics is not a choice, it is a must. According to Issam Sinjab (2011), Mathematics

education is vital for progress and development. Maristella Aquino (2016), a former

Mathematics teacher, also states that removing Mathematics would mean losing of teachers and

losing of teachers means losing the chance to have a better and brighter future. Definitely,

Mathematics should not be removed because many professionals would lose their jobs and

students might not have the possibility to be an efficient decision maker, problem solver and

creative thinker. According to the research of the East Carolina University, students will receive

lower quality oversight, reduced options with their degree, lower salary options, less innovative

programs, and less modeling of good teaching by mathematicians due to less interaction with

Mathematics Educators.  There will be a real risk of less content knowledge on part of students.

Definitely, high-level of Mathematics in secondary education should not be removed

because it would only prevent the students to be globally competitive, they would not be able to
develop their creative, strategic and reasoning skills and professionals in this particular field

would lose their jobs and may result in insufficiency of knowledge for the students and may

cause problem to the economy. Moreover, it should not be abolished because it already has an

important role to every people’s life because without Mathematics, logical and reasonable

thinking would not be enhanced. It promotes coherent thinking that develops one’s mindset that

is a key to human development. Removing high-level Mathematics would stop the students to be

globally competitive because they would not have the chance to learn and be more

knowledgeable to be successful. Students would not also develop their innovative and strategic

skills because Mathematics is one of the top fundamental components in learning to understand

problem. Lastly, removing Mathematics would also mean losing professionals who would be a

key to every student’s development and success and losing them would mean losing the chance

to improve one’s self thinking, planning and decision making. Certainly, Mathematics is not all

about problems, sine and cosines, equations and computations; hence, it is all about

understanding.

“One important lesson in Math that we can all apply in our lives is that, ALWAYS BE

CAREFUL WITH THE SIGNS”

- Unknown
References:

Philippine Star. (September 5, 2016) Retrieved from

__http://www.philstar.com/headlines/2015/12/17/1533532/duterte-wants-algebra-calculus-
__trigonometry-replaced-business-math

Herbert. (September 5, 2016) Mathematics to Culture. Retrieved from

__https://www.atm.org.uk/write/MediaUploads/Consultations/ATM-Conference-DfE-
__Presentation-2013-03-27.pdf

Science for all Americans (September 5, 2016) . Nature of Mathematics. Retrieved from
__http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap2.htm

Katelyn Duazon. (September 5, 2016) Logical thinking. Retrieved from

__http://www.ucalgary.ca/aslcle/nctm/Q4A.html

American Association. (September 6, 2016) Retrieved from

__http://www.project2061.org/publications/sfaa/online/chap2.htm

Davlin, K. (September 6, 2016) Patterns and Relationships. Retrieved from

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Lucas. (September 6, 2016) Scenario without Mathematics. Retrieved from

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Sinjab. (September 6, 2016) Math is compulsory. Retrieved from

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East Carolina University. (September 6, 2016) A Response. http://www.ecu.edu/cs-

__acad/fsonline/1xmath.cfm

Queenie Chua. (September 6, 2016) Math improves students.

__http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/348583/math-tech-improves-student-performance