WHAT鈥橲 five times four? Geophysicist Peter Ridd was gobsmacked to see a first-year university student pull out a calculator to work out the no-brainer equation.

The James Cook University professor blames the dumbing down of a generation of Australian students on modern teaching philosophies that deride rote learning as 鈥渄rill and kill鈥�. His alarm is echoed by eminent maths, science and education professors concerned that under颅qualified teachers, 鈥渟tudent-led鈥� pedagogy and assignment-based assessment methods are rendering a generation of Australian children innumerate.

鈥淢odern educational theory says you don鈥檛 need knowledge because it鈥檚 all online; there鈥檚 Google,鈥欌�� Ridd tells Inquirer. 鈥淏ut you ultimately do need a basic proficiency in spelling and numbers; you need knowledge inside your head. I鈥檝e seen uni kids, when I鈥檝e asked them 鈥榃hat鈥檚 61 x 0?鈥�, pick up a calculator.鈥欌��

The 今日吃瓜 is warning of a looming skills shortage for industries such as banking, mining, information security, IT, biotech and communications.