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South Africa’s Mathematics Crisis Demands Urgent Focus on Teacher Development

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Kagiso Trust and University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Education’s, Education Conversations webinar identifies educator professionalisation as the key lever for reversing decline in participation

KEY POINTS

  • Teacher professionalisation is the foundational solution: South Africa cannot build a mathematically capable nation without first building a mathematically capable teaching profession, according to industry and education leaders.
  • The root problem is systemic: many mathematics teachers enter the profession by chance or for job security, even if they are not passionate or confident, creating a cycle in which they cannot inspire learner confidence.
  • Long-term commitment is essential: this is not a challenge that can be fixed quickly. It requires sustained investment and collaboration.
  • Solutions already exist: dedicated teachers, innovative digital platforms, mentorship programmes and private-public partnerships are delivering results. The challenge is scaling these successes nationally.
  • The stakes are high: continued decline in mathematics participation threatens economic growth, the skills pipeline, and global competitiveness in an AI-driven, data-intensive economy.

Only one in three 2025 matric candidates wrote mathematics, and declining maths participation threatens economic growth and the skills pipeline. But urgent investment in teacher development and professionalisation can address the challenge, according to participants in the “Education Conversations” webinar.

Building a mathematically capable nation is impossible without first building a mathematically capable teaching profession, said education leaders, industry executives and mathematics specialists who joined the discussion.

Panellists said many teachers end up in the profession by chance or because it offers job security, rather than because they have a passion for the subject or confidence in their own mathematical abilities.

Nicolas Mmako, who leads Investec’s Corporate Social Investments in mathematics and science education, noted that when teachers have been “produced by a system which failed to help them realise their ultimate potential”, they cannot be expected to “unleash the maximum potential of a learner”.

Samson Hove, a mathematics mentor at Kagiso Trust, said teacher professionalisation must focus on continuous, intensive mentorship, co-planning of lessons, collaborative problem-solving strategies and ongoing classroom support.

Trudy Shongwe, a Head of Department from a Johannesburg school, said co-planning with colleagues allows teachers to tackle difficult topics together, pool resources, and create consistency in assessment across grades.

However, Mmako warned that professionalisation is not a quick fix. “We have to be in it for the long haul,” he said. “This is a whole system challenge that requires very intentional, long-term collaboration – not a microwave approach.”

Building resilience and changing narratives

 While teacher development emerged as the foundational solution, panellists also identified supporting concepts essential to reversing the decline.

Mlungisi Nkosi, an educational content creator with 379,000 YouTube subscribers, reframed mathematics not as a difficult subject but as a vehicle for teaching “productive struggle” – the ability to confront challenging problems, fail, adjust and try again. This resilience, he argued, is what separates individuals who give up from those who innovate and solve complex problems.

“Mathematics does not only open doors to opportunity,” Nkosi said. “Through productive struggle, it builds the discipline and resilience needed to solve problems whose answers do not yet exist.”

Ernest Phahlamohlaka, who teaches mathematics to Limpopo learners in grades 11 and 12, said teaching must move away from abstract concepts disconnected from learners’ daily lives. Instead, mathematics should be connected to real-world applications that help learners see its relevance and reduce the stigma surrounding the subject.

Panellists warned that continued decline in mathematics participation threatens South Africa’s economic competitiveness. Mmako said: “There is no path to economic growth and inclusion that will bypass mathematics.” With artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making reshaping the global economy, countries that fail to develop mathematically literate workforces will fall behind.

The discussion also identified an urgent need for policy change at national level. Mmako noted that countries such as Singapore, Finland and China make mathematics and science strategic national priorities, something South Africa has yet to do comprehensively.

Call to collective action

 No stakeholder can solve this crisis alone, said panellists. Schools, universities, government, industry, communities and civil society organisations must work together.

Hove outlined the necessary pillars: strengthening teacher capacity and school leadership; increasing learner participation and confidence through mentorship, career awareness and targeted support; and building partnerships with industry and universities to bridge the gap between secondary and tertiary mathematics.

Solutions already exist in pockets across the country. Dedicated teachers, innovative digital learning platforms, mentorship programmes and private–public collaborations are changing learner outcomes. The challenge is scaling these successes and ensuring they reach every learner.

Panellists highlighted seven key interventions to end the mathematics crisis in schools:

  • Make teacher development a strategic priority with adequate funding and time.
  • Shift the national narrative around mathematics from “it’s difficult” to “it builds the resilience we need”.
  • Establish school cultures that value mathematics and support teachers and learners.
  • Create safe spaces where learners can fail, learn and persist without shame.
  • Start interventions as early as grades 8 and 9, not just Grade 12.
  • Build partnerships between schools, universities and industry to show real-world applications and career pathways.
  • Empower parents, even those who did not study mathematics, to support learner participation.

Kagiso Trust’s Head of Education, Sizakele Mphatsoe, said the challenge for the government, business and civil society was to ensure every learner has the confidence and opportunity to do well in mathematics.

“We need to embed the culture that is required for us to succeed in growing not only the subject but also the economy of the country. That is why we should look at the subject as a national priority,” she said.

Watch the conversation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU

Images:

Sizakele Mphatsoe – Kagiso Trust’s Head of Education. Photo: Supplied by Client

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU

South Africa’s mathematics crisis demands urgent focus on teacher development

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.