Why Has Mathematics Become a Nightmare at Technical Universities?

In this paper, we would like to highlight the discrepancies between the entry requirements for applicants to study at a technical university and the requirements for completing mathematics courses in the first year of bachelor's studies. In secondary schools (especially secondary vocational schools), the time allocation for teaching mathematics is very limited, and only a small proportion of students graduate from mathematics. The composition of students applying to technical universities has changed, with graduates of secondary vocational schools currently prevailing. On the other hand, mathematics still represents the theoretical basis for most engineering courses at the bachelor's and engineering levels of study, so the faculty's engineering departments require a certain level of knowledge in mathematics from students moving on to higher years. This contradiction is manifested in the large number of students who have problems with successfully completing basic mathematics courses at the bachelor's level of study, which complicates their further studies and, in some cases, even leads to dropping out of studies. Using the example of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering of the Slovak University of Technology, we present an overview of measures to overcome this contradiction. These include the introduction of various supporting teaching activities, the wider use of activating teaching methods, the modification of study plans and course information sheets, and the like. The text shows that despite the various activities of the faculty, which have several positive effects, the problem of students' prerequisites for successfully completing mathematics courses remains unresolved and require systematic intervention by the state.