The Abacus maths textbook, which has been causing ‘maths anxiety’ in children in government and private schools, will be discontinued after 2016, sources close to the Education Ministry said.

Maltese children aged eight to 11 are finding themselves at a loss trying to work out simple maths problems using complex linear methods rather than the formal ways.

Josef Lauri, University of Malta mathematician, told Times of Malta recently that the Abacus textbook, introduced by the Education Department 10 years ago, has been “a failure and should be scrapped”. Parents and teachers reacted favourably to this, citing innumerable problems that students have been facing using this method.

Sources close to the Education Ministry said this coming scholastic year will be the last one where government schools will have Abacus as a text book.

More on Times of Malta and the e-paper on timesofmalta.com Premium.

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