McDonald's to Sponsor Australian Maths Lessons

Ronald McDonald is famous for his burgers and fries, and for being the grinning face of a global fast-food empire. He is less known for his maths skills. But yesterday McDonald's announced plans to teach the children of Australia their sums.

The company is to sponsor an online maths tutoring program to which all 1.4 million secondary school pupils in Australia will have access. The Maths Online lessons, or inevitably "McMaths", cost A$40 (£19) a month to run for each student, but are being offered free. Pupils logging on will see the company's golden arches logo and the words "proudly provided by your local McDonald's restaurant".

The deal agreed with the federal government has triggered a row in some states, which have devolved responsibility for education. Queensland reportedly blocked the launch of the scheme today, saying it was "inappropriate for public servants to endorse products".

The opposition education spokesman, Adrian Piccoli, said parents expected education to be independent of corporate interests. "Maccas should stick to making hamburgers and the government should stick to educating children," Piccoli told the Sydney Daily Telegraph.

Maths Online says it includes hundreds of animated and narrated lessons and 15,000 exam-style questions to test a student's "mastery of maths". Julia Gillard, the federal education minister, said: "The Maths Online program is a great resource ... I commend McDonald's."

In the UK, McDonald's has developed materials to help teachers plan lessons on fast-food catering, but the company said it was not actively marketing in schools.