Sinan Ibaguner The only constant value in life is the process of change. The best bet in this case scenario, is for educators to be more innovative in teaching these math disciplines in the secondary education level to prepare the students for college life or career of their choice.

Many people around the world live happily without being able to read, but I am sure that we agree that their lives would be richer if they could. In the same way, some students will be able to live without using mathematics, but their lives would be far richer if we teach them to reason mathematically. Plus, if we only teach basic algebra and trigonometry, they will mostly encounter only dull calculations, and miss all the exciting and wonderful bits, which is, in my opinion, one reason why so many get so bored of maths.

It is not entirely logical to mandate advanced math (beyond algebra and trigonometry) for high school students who do not plan to pursue scientific fields, as it may not align with their interests or career goals. While math builds critical thinking skills, forcing all students into higher-level math can lead to disengagement and wasted instructional time. A more logical approach would be to offer multiple math pathways—ensuring all students develop essential numeracy while allowing flexibility based on their future plans. This respects diverse strengths while still promoting informed, capable citizens.

secondary education level to prepare the students for college life or career of their choice. better they should learn basic of Algebra and Trigonometry. because trigonometry gives application in every life. when they are writing JEE, NEET, CET competitive exam, this will be help.

One thought. If useful aspects are to be prioritised, maybe one should focus on basic combinatorics and probability (and perhaps basic calculus/pre calculus)? I use these in my everyday life, but rarely use trigonometry.

As many have said, Maths' skills contribute to deep thinking skills. Numeracy skills should be a given for all students and while these are often classed as Mathematics, I prefer to keep the two areas separate.

I am biased as I have taught Maths at senior secondary level, but I certainly see the value in problem solving, pattern recognition and liguistics (maths is a language with syntax and grammar). Many content areas overlap in skills so I don't suggest a particular set of areas. Some that could be useful are: geometry, probability and combinatorics, algebra and polynomials, rates of change, simple proofs (inductive and deductive thinking), graphs and transformations.

With generative AI booming, affordable yet powerful AI translation apps (no hardware needed) will soon emerge. Why should students learn foreign languages? One reason: skipping language learning means ceding the right to verify translations to AI long-term. Then AI alone decides translation quality, as humans relinquished that power. Similarly, while calculators handle complex math, we still study it—my answer lies there.

For the sake of civics some basic statistics should also be included.