The South African Democratic Teachers Union alleges schools are pressuring learners in grade 10 and upwards to drop maths to protect overall matric pass rates
Teacher unions have called out the department of basic education for failing to hire maths teachers after it emerged that 464 schools in the country no longer offer maths as a subject.
“There needs to be a serious talk about how the department handles its human resources department, because we have universities that are graduating students, but how many of these teachers care about the needs of learners at the schools?” said the South African Democratic Teachers Union’s (Sadtu) Mugwena Maluleka.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) said the high number of schools not teaching mathematics does not bode well for the education system.
“Naptosa is concerned that any number of schools not having mathematics will hinder the progress of our education system — the department needs to stipulate how it plans to restore mathematics education to these schools,” said Naptosa’s spokesperson, Basil Manuel.
Last week, the department of basic education said these schools include 135 in KwaZulu-Natal, 84 in the Eastern Cape, 78 in Limpopo and 61 in the Western Cape.
According to statistics released by the department last week, the percentage of learners opting for maths declined from 46% in 2011 to 34% in 2023. In 2024, only 255,762 learners registered for the subject, down from 268,100 the previous year.
The department added that a persistent shortage of qualified maths teachers and resource constraints, including budget and timetabling limitations, have exacerbated the issue.
“While mathematics remains a high-priority subject, schools may not have sufficient resources or demand to offer both mathematics and mathematical literacy,” said the department’s spokesperson, Elijah Mhlanga.
Sadtu claims that schools in rural areas are threatening children in grades 10 and higher to not take maths as a subject so that the school maintains a high matric pass rate.
“We need to hold the department accountable, schools in rural areas only want matric outcomes so they stop children from doing mathematics because they don’t want them to fail so that they don’t have a low pass rate,” Maluleka said.
The education movement, Equal Education, warned that with limited or no resources for core subjects such as maths and the physical sciences, learners have difficulty progressing through the curriculum.
A staggering 82.4% of public schools don’t have laboratories, essential for hands-on learning in subjects such as the physical sciences, according to a report by Equal Education. Additionally, 74% of public schools do not have libraries, and of those that do, more than 40% are not adequately stocked.
“Schools in rural provinces also have some of the worst historical infrastructure backlogs, with many learners forced to learn in undignified conditions with poor sanitation and dilapidated infrastructure,” Equal Education’s Stacey Jacobs said.
Data published by the Human Sciences Research Council and the Parliamentary Monitoring Group in 2023 shows that a substantial portion of learners in the early grades, including grade 5, lack the minimum competencies in basic maths.
Grade 9 learners in South Africa were placed 38th out of 39 countries in maths and came in last for science, while the country ranked 62nd out of 64 nations for grade 5 maths performance, according to the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study benchmark.
Announcing the 2024 National Senior Certificate results in January, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube warned of a spike in learners who progress through the basic education system without mastering foundational skills, particularly in literacy and numeracy.
“These deficits accumulate over time, limiting learners’ abilities to succeed in higher grades and in these gateway subjects and diminishing their prospects of accessing further education and employment opportunities,” she said.
“This trend manifests itself in the perennial decrease of enrolment in subjects such as physical sciences, mathematics, accounting and economics, which are all subjects that are critical for a nation’s ability to advance in science, innovation, and economic development.”
In 2024, 69.1% of learners passed maths, an increase from 63.5% in 2023. The physical sciences saw a slight decline to 75.6% in 2024 from 76.2% in 2023.
The Western Cape achieved the highest pass rates in maths (78%) and physical science (79.4%).
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi criticised the low number of learners taking those subjects, and called on the department to introduce measures to improve the 50% pass mark in maths and physical science.
“The basic education system is not producing enough matriculants with strong problem solving, critical thinking, literacy and numeracy skills, who can go on to higher education, training or apprenticeship,” he said.
Many tertiary institutions in South Africa require between a 60% and 75% achievement level in maths and physical sciences for admission into the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) fields.
The low achievement levels affect learners who aspire to pursue higher education, according to Stellenbosch University.
To qualify for admission to Bachelor’s degree studies, candidates need to achieve at least 40% in their home language, 50% in four other subjects (excluding life orientation), 30% in the language of instruction and 30% in one other subject. They must also pass a minimum of six out of the seven subjects taken.
“Without meeting these benchmarks, learners are effectively locked out of opportunities that could change their lives and contribute to South Africa’s economic growth,” said the chair of the department in psychology of education at Unisa, Ramodungoane Tabane.
Tabane added that a lack of graduates in STEM subjects could hamper South Africa’s expertise in these fields.
The country has only one engineer for every 3,100 people, compared with Germany’s one per 200, the Engineering Council of South Africa noted.
Education activist Hendrick Makaneta has called for a collective effort to transform South Africa’s education system, with a particular focus on strengthening STEM education.
“We must emphasise that the future of South Africa’s youth and the country’s development largely hinges on equipping learners with the skills and knowledge that these subject fields provide. The world is rapidly evolving, and our education system must evolve with it,” he said.