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In a speech on Monday, British leader Rishi Sunak said he wanted to make maths compulsoryNot optional. for all school pupils in England until they are 18.

He says that the UK has an "anti-maths mindset". People think it is ok to joke about being bad at maths, he says, but they would never joke about not being able to read or write.

Literacy is about reading and writing. Numeracy is about being able to understand and use numbers.

Sunak says there is not enough focus on numeracy in Britain. Every year, nearly one in three 16-year-olds in England fail their maths GCSEThe national exams taken by 15 and 16-year-olds in parts of the UK. . There are eight million adults whose maths skills are worse than a nine-year-old's are supposed to be.

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Sunak says being bad at maths is costing Britain lots of money. People who cannot use numbers, many argue, are less likely to find a job.

But not everyone thinks being bad at maths is a big problem for the UK. Some say making children do more maths will mean they have less time for the subjects they are interested in and are good at, from English to art to music to life skills.

And others point out that if Britain's maths skills are to get better, more will need to be done to find new maths teachers.

Yes! We live in a world in which being able to use numbers is a very important skills. Some of the best-paid jobs are in the world of banking and technology, where maths is key.

No! Most adults get by with only a little bit of maths. We have calculators and even AIA computer programme that has been designed to think.  to help us. Literacy is much more important than numeracy.