Skip to content
MATHS WEEK IRELAND Logo
  • HOME
  • REGISTER
  • MathsWeekTV
  • EVENTS
  • NEWS
  • RESOURCES
    • Games & Competitons
    • Puzzles for All
      • Puzzles for All – Ukrainian
      • Puzzles for All – Arabic
    • Teachers’ Zone
    • Parents’ Zone
    • Maths at Work
    • Acmhainní as Gaeilge
    • Useful Info & Links
  • ABOUT
    • Participants Gallery
    • Maths Week Through The Years
    • Maths Map
    • Our Partners
    • Contact us
    • Meet the Team

Pupils say Maths isn’t Scary and Minister Donohoe agrees!

Pupils say Maths isn’t Scary and Minister Donohoe agrees!

Maths and numbers are part of everyday life and there’s nothing scary about that.  This was the message from pupils of Glasnevin Educate Together National School who held a Children’s Budget with Maths Week Ireland Co-ordinator Eoin Gill and a special guest visitor, Minister for Finance, Paschal Donohoe TD.  Over 400,000 young people and the public are participating in Maths Week 2021 focused on driving home the benefits of maths and all the opportunities it brings for individuals, society and the economy.

Boys and girls aged 11-12 participated in a workshop in Mr. David Fitzsimons’ Fifth Class where they balanced the ‘Children’s Budget’, using their maths skills to decide how they would like the Government’s money to be spent.  The goal was to determine the priority spending areas through discussion and debate and then to fairly and wisely distribute a nominal €100 budget among these areas.   They broke into 6 groups or “cabinets” for discussions, allocated their budgets and a collective budget was then decided by the class using their maths skills to create an average from the 6 groups.

The children chose these categories and allocated their budget in the following percentages:

Health & Social Protection 22% Taking care of people who are sick, elderly or have had an accident, and people who need help and support.
Housing 19% Providing houses for people to live in / rent and also to help families who don’t have a home.
Education 17% Providing schools for children and our community. And universities and institutes of technology
Sport & Leisure 10% Sports grounds, gyms, playgrounds and coaching
Environment & Climate 21% Providing energy for our homes, power for factories and shops, in a way that also protects our environment
Transport 11% Public transport services, cycling and easier ways of getting around.

Minister Donohoe said, “These wonderful children represent the future of our country and their thoughtfulness and insights into many of the modern day issues we face are both impressive and humbling in terms of the responsibility that we have as a Government to support and enhance life and living for everyone in our society and for these young people who will ultimately lead our country for generations to come.”

Eoin Gill, Maths Week Ireland Co-Ordinator said “Maths skills are central to everyday life. To help children see the relevance of maths, it’s important to make it a part of everyday life from a young age. Teaching children how to budget will stand them in good stead to become responsible, fiscally savvy adults. Using maths like this to problem solve real-world challenges promotes critical thinking, collaboration and imagination.

“This exercise clearly utilised their maths skills and helped the children to creatively apply them to a real-life scenario. The activity also showed that while the young people were able to link their discussions to their own lives they were altruistic in prioritising those in need in society. In the end they understood the process of budgeting on a national level and on a family level and the importance of budgeting and planning in their own lives.

“It was particularly gratifying to see the importance they placed in education for their own futures and for society in general.”

By |2021-10-22T15:03:24+00:00|Categories: MathsWeek2021, News|Tags: Children's Budget, MathsWeek2021, Paschal Donohoe TD|Comments Off on Pupils say Maths isn’t Scary and Minister Donohoe agrees!

Share with Social Media :)

FacebookTwitterRedditLinkedInTumblrPinterest

About the Author:

Related Posts

  • Statistics Lecturer Rafael De Andrade Moral receives Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Maths

    Statistics Lecturer Rafael De Andrade Moral receives Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Maths

  • COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR MATHS WEEK

    COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR MATHS WEEK

  • Minister Foley joins Maths Eyes celebrations

    Minister Foley joins Maths Eyes celebrations

  • Dara Ó Briain receives the 2021 Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics

    Dara Ó Briain receives the 2021 Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics

  • THE Awards 2021 Shortlist

    THE Awards 2021 Shortlist

  • Maths Week News July 2021

    Maths Week News July 2021

Recent Posts

  • Statistics Lecturer Rafael De Andrade Moral receives Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Maths
  • COUNTDOWN IS ON FOR MATHS WEEK
  • Minister Foley joins Maths Eyes celebrations
  • Pupils say Maths isn’t Scary and Minister Donohoe agrees!
  • Dara Ó Briain receives the 2021 Maths Week Ireland Award for Raising Public Awareness of Mathematics

Recent Comments

    Archives

    • October 2022
    • June 2022
    • October 2021
    • September 2021
    • June 2021
    • May 2021
    • April 2021
    • March 2021
    • February 2021
    • January 2021
    • December 2020
    • November 2020
    • October 2020
    • September 2020
    • August 2020
    • July 2020
    • June 2020
    • May 2020
    • October 2019
    • September 2019
    • August 2019
    • July 2019
    • October 2015

    Categories

    • Adult
    • ADVENT
    • Age 4-6
    • Age 6-8
    • Age 8-16
    • As Gaeilge
    • As Geailge
    • Event
    • Family
    • Featured
    • Games
    • Maths Week Award
    • MathsWeek2020
    • MathsWeek2021
    • News
    • Primary
    • Puzzles
    • Resources
    • Secondary
    Maths Week Ireland, Waterford, X91 K0EK

    © Copyright - | Maths Week Ireland | Calmast | South East Technological University, Waterford
    FacebookTwitterInstagramYouTubeTiktok
    This site uses cookies: Find out more.
    Go to Top