Introduction

Abstract

In the last century, nations, such as Britain, Germany and France, the United States and Japan, have made significant economic progress due to having critical masses of people who are well educated in mathematics and science. Today, technology continues to shift power and centres of economic dynamism. In recent years, countries, such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, Finland, Estonia, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Canada, have been able to innovate their societies and industries based on good education that is grounded on the strong foundations of mathematics and science. The Fourth Industrial Revolution, powered by the phenomenal advances of digitalisation, has made it even more pressing for countries to prepare their people with the basic knowledge, reasoning and thinking in mathematics and science. This is, of course, even more accelerated by other crises, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, which has caused nations to seriously consider what the future of education and society would be like in a new norm. Furthermore, improved access to new technologies, such as mobile Internet services and Artificial Intelligence programs, not only provide for new opportunities but also call for education to ensure that the new generation are well equipped to cope and thrive in the new economy.