Maths Education (as those Brits would have it)

Alex Bellos on why math education ought be compulsory through the teenage years... and, why it ought be enjoyable:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2012/jan/23/how-learn-love-maths

an excerpt:

"Maths is justified in this country[Britain] because it is useful. Sparks said his proposals were necessary because young people need a better grasp of maths to compete in the job market, where an understanding of technology and numeracy are increasingly important.
I agree. But maths should also be studied for the same reasons we study Shakespeare – it is our intellectual and cultural heritage. Maths makes us more creative and gives us a deeper understanding of the way things really are."