Alicia James
One of my biggest regrets in life is not being good at mathematics at school.
I struggled with maths and accounting. I feared my accounting teacher, who told me I was stupid. Over time, I came to detest both subjects. My parents could not afford extra tuition, so I had little opportunity to catch up.
I managed to pass, achieving a D in Mathematics on the standard grade and a D in Accounting on the higher grade in matric. There was always a real possibility that I would fail maths. I had no idea how algebra, geometry and numbers might one day be relevant to my life. I became a journalist and followed a path into the humanities.
What if someone had given me extra classes? What if mathematics had been demystified? Perhaps my life would have turned out differently.
More than 30 years later, I find myself wondering how many young people choose their futures based on what they could pass at school, instead of what they could become.
At a recent Council on Higher Education Research Colloquium, on ‘Shifting Participation Trends in South African Higher Education: Public and private higher education sector’, Prof Denyse Webbstock, senior director for institutional planning, evaluation and monitoring at the University of Johannesburg, highlighted the scale of learners’ poor performance in maths.
Of the approximately one million learners who started Grade 1 in 2010, only 34 451 – about 3% – achieved a Mathematics mark of 60% or higher in matric in 2021.
Those numbers should concern all of us.
Mathematics is a gateway subject. In fields such as engineering, medicine, accounting, computer science, and the physical sciences, mathematical performance can determine whether a young person can pursue a particular career.
This means that a child who falls behind at school may not simply be struggling with a subject. They may be losing access to an entire range of careers.
And the problem starts early. The 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) painted a particularly sobering picture. South African Grade 5 learners scored an average of 362 points in mathematics, compared with an international average of 503, placing South Africa last among the participating education systems. Grade 9 learners fared somewhat better, with their average mathematics score rising from 389 in 2019 to 397 in 2023, but this remained well below the international average of 478.
This means that by the time a learner reaches matric, years of difficulties with foundational concepts may have accumulated. Sometimes a foundational concept was missed. Maybe nobody explained it in a way that made sense to that child. Sometimes a learner needs more time, more practice and someone who believes they can succeed.
Teachers, however, work under enormous pressure to cover the curriculum. If learners have not mastered an earlier concept, they cannot simply stop indefinitely to rebuild every foundation. The Curriculum Assessment Policy Statement does not allow teachers time to go back. The gaps can therefore become a chasm as learners progress.
One way to close the gaps is a national Mathematics and Science Mentoring Programme involving universities, retired academics, scientists, engineers, accountants, and experienced teachers. The aim would not be to replace teachers, but to augment them.
Imagine a retired mathematics professor spending two afternoons a week helping learners understand foundational concepts. An experienced teacher mentoring younger educators. An engineer running a Saturday problem-solving session. University students serving as tutors and mentors.
And why can’t mathematics be fun? Why can’t it involve puzzles, games, music, sport, experiments and real-life challenges?
Multiplication tables can become songs or rhythmic chants. Games can teach probability and mental arithmetic. Learners can use cricket averages, football statistics and running times to understand numbers. Cooking introduces fractions, ratios and measurement. Coding and robotics can make logic and problem-solving tangible.
Learners can measure trees, calculate distances and explore patterns outdoors. When learning is fun, children may remember lessons.
Mathematics should not simply be a collection of equations to memorise for an examination. It is a way of understanding the world.
A statistician can show a learner how numbers help us understand sport. An engineer can demonstrate how mathematics is used to design a bridge. An accountant can explain the mathematics behind financial decisions. A data specialist can show how mathematics connects to artificial intelligence.
Suddenly, mathematics is no longer an abstract subject in a textbook.
It becomes something alive.
Programmes already demonstrate what is possible. Universities and specialist organisations have developed mathematics clubs, competitions, teacher-development programmes, problem-solving initiatives and outreach activities. At Nelson Mandela University, the Govan Mbeki Mathematics Development Centre supports mathematics education through learner programmes and teacher development.
South Africa does not need yet another isolated programme. We need to ask whether the programmes, people and expertise that already exist can be connected, strengthened and taken to a much larger scale.
Universities are well placed to help. Imagine a network of Mathematics and Science Academies linked to universities and surrounding schools.
Universities could provide academics, retired scholars, student mentors, laboratories, digital resources, teacher development, and career exposure. Schools would provide learners, teachers, and an understanding of their communities. Government could provide coordination and funding. Business could contribute equipment, sponsorship and workplace exposure.
The objective would be bigger than improving examination results. It would be about changing a child’s relationship with mathematics and exposing them to a university.
South Africa needs young people who can work confidently with numbers, data, technology and scientific ideas. The world of work is changing rapidly, and mathematical and analytical skills are becoming increasingly important in fields ranging from artificial intelligence and data science to finance, engineering and technology.
The country cannot build a knowledge economy if we continually lose talented young people from the mathematics and science pipeline. We cannot expect to solve the continent’s complex challenges if we do not develop our own pool of mathematicians, scientists, engineers, researchers and technology specialists. We should be developing the intellectual capacity to solve our problems ourselves rather than continually relying on expertise developed elsewhere.
South Africa has thousands of retired academics, teachers, engineers, scientists, accountants and other professionals who have accumulated decades of knowledge.
What if some of our most experienced professionals became the people who helped a new generation fall in love with mathematics and science?
This would not be about asking retired people to work for free. Their knowledge has value. A well-structured national programme could provide stipends, training, and support while giving experienced professionals a meaningful way to contribute.
Perhaps most importantly, such a programme could help young people see themselves differently.
A child from an under-resourced school may never have met an engineer, scientist or mathematician. They may not know what these professionals do or imagine themselves occupying such spaces.
A mentor can change that. Sometimes a child doesn't need another textbook. Sometimes they need someone to say: “You can do this. You belong here. There is a world of possibilities beyond this classroom.”
Perhaps we can change life for the next generation.
South Africa does not simply need more mathematics teachers. We need a national effort to make mathematics fascinating, accessible and exciting – to develop a sense of wonder about numbers, patterns, science and the world around us.
Because perhaps the real question is not how many children can pass mathematics.
It is how many children might discover what they are capable of if we give them the chance.
As for me, I lost that opportunity, like several other generations.
We need the political will to kickstart this initiative.
©Higher Education Media Services.