Mathematics Beyond Numbers

Mathematics can open doors when teaching focuses on understanding, emotional support, and real-life connections, rather than just exams.

- Malik Mushtaq

I began as a Resource Person of Mathematics in 2015, expecting to focus on content and training. I quickly discovered that teaching maths means understanding students, classrooms, and learning beyond exams and syllabi.

Over seven years, I visited schools, training centres, and district offices, meeting teachers, officers, and thousands of students. I learned that gaps in learning grow from the way mathematics is taught rather than from students’ ability.

Visiting different zones showed how the same curriculum plays out in very different contexts.

Some schools had limited facilities but teachers who cared deeply, while others had better infrastructure and students who struggled with basic concepts.

Language influenced learning in remote areas, while syllabus pressure and exams limited understanding in urban schools.

In every setting, one pattern emerged: students advanced without mastering the basics.

Eighth graders struggled with division, seventh graders could not handle fractions, and sixth graders froze at word problems.

These gaps built up over the years, reflecting what national studies, including the Annual Status of Education Report, have shown.

Mathematics builds step by step. Weak number sense affects operations. Unclear fractions make percentages and ratios harder. Without early algebraic understanding, higher mathematics feels intimidating.