The UK government is investing £8.3 million to encourage more girls to take A-level maths, especially in disadvantaged schools. The Department for Education (DfE) aims to remove barriers to education and address socio-economic disparities affecting access to advanced maths and careers in artificial intelligence (AI). Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson emphasized the importance of diversity in AI development to avoid inherent biases. Currently, only a third of A-level math students are girls, and women constitute merely 22% of the AI workforce, highlighting the need for this initiative as part of the broader Plan for Change.
Today's brightest maths minds are tomorrow's AI pioneers, and this government is opening the door for groups who have so far been left behind in the AI revolution.
A child's socio-economic background can stand between them and certain educational pathways, and digital exclusion across the UK means approximately 1.7 million households in the UK have no internet access.
The DfE's new investment is part of the government's Plan for Change laid out in December of 2024, part of which aims to level the playing field.
Only a third of the pupils who currently take maths at A-Level are girls, and women only make up around 22% of those working in AI or related careers.
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