For South Africa to truly – and radically – address the triple scourge of poverty, inequality and unemployment, quality education is an essential ingredient. Therefore, it is more than a little disturbing to learn that the authorities may scrap mathematics as a compulsory requirement for progression from the lower to the senior grades. Rather than sacrificing the career options of our youth at the altar of progression expediency, government should, instead, be putting all its energies into galvanising a national campaign that will turn the tide on this country’s poor maths and science performance.