A numerically literate person can manage and respond to the mathematical
demands of life. For example,
if one can understand simple mathematical equations such as, 2 + 2 = 4, then
one would be considered possessing at least basic numeric knowledge. Filipinos
are evidently literate in numbers. This can be seen usually at markets. Vendors,
sellers and businessmen at all walks of life are very good at calculating,
regardless to their educational attainment.
Most vendors, salesladies and sellers at markets aren’t all college
graduates, yet they calculate the exact amount of the items to be paid by their
customers with accuracy.
Another concrete evidence of numerical
literacy of Filipinos is the bagging of
awards by the students on Math Expos held abroad. Their ability is called
numeracy. Numeracy is the
ability to reason and to apply simple numerical concepts. Basic numeracy skills
consist of comprehending fundamental arithmetic like addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division. Substantial aspects of numeracy also include number
sense, operation sense, computation, measurement, geometry, probability and statistics. Filipino students sent abroad to compete and
bring gold medals back to the Philippines is a strong evidence that most
Filipinos have numeracy skills.
