Delivering the keynote address, Dr Mmboneni Muofhe, deputy director-general for Socio-Economic Innovation Partnership at the Department of Science and Innovation, warned that South Africa’s mathematics results do not always reflect the full reality of learner participation and opportunity. He argued that when learners are shifted away from mathematics and into mathematics literacy simply to improve school performance statistics, “the numbers lie”.
Dr Muofhe further reflected that South African children remain hungry to succeed – eager to understand big ideas and pursue careers as doctors, engineers, scientists and innovators – but that too many are being denied meaningful mathematics pathways. Emphasising the critical role of educators in shaping the country’s future, he noted that teachers have the power to unlock learners’ potential by building confidence, shaping attitudes and creating stronger opportunities for mathematics and science learning.
Building on these concerns, Dr Sizwe Nxasana, CEO of Sifiso Learning Group, warned that South Africa’s mathematics crisis is no longer simply an education challenge, but a deepening structural and economic one. While mathematics pass rates may appear to be improving, he argued that the country is simultaneously losing thousands of learners from the mathematics pipeline.
“The crisis of mathematics in South Africa has a name, a face and, increasingly, a class. While mathematics pass rates may appear to be improving, mathematics participation – particularly in quintile 1 to 3 no-fee-paying schools – continues to decline in favour of mathematics literacy. These are children who are disappearing from the mathematics pipeline before they have the opportunity to realise that potential,” said Dr Nxasana.
Dr Nxasana further argued that the crisis begins long before learners enter mathematics classrooms, pointing to the limited emphasis placed on mathematics within teacher training programmes themselves. Referencing research presented, he noted that many Bachelor of Education and PGCE programmes allocate as little as 7.5% to 10% of their total credits to mathematics. This contributes directly to many teachers lacking the confidence to teach mathematics conceptually and effectively, particularly in under-resourced schools.
“We cannot solve a mathematics crisis while mathematics classrooms are empty. Mathematics is the invisible infrastructure of a modern economy. When we allow children to fall behind in mathematics, we dismantle our economic future one classroom at a time.
“South Africa risks reproducing generations of learners who can remember and repeat, but cannot think, reason and solve problems,” he said.
Dr Sizwe Nxasana (CEO: Sifiso Learning Group), Chantyl Mulder (CEO: MarketPlace Academy), Dr Mboneni Muofhe (deputy director-general for Socio-Economic Innovation Partnership: Department of Science and Innovation) and Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu (chairman: MarketPlace Academy)
Supporting these concerns, Gail Campbell, CEO of the Zenex Foundation, said South Africa’s mathematics crisis is being intensified by a system that prioritises performance targets over meaningful participation.
“Performance targets dominate over participation,” said Campbell, warning that headline improvements in pass rates mean little if fewer learners are taking mathematics in the first place.
Convened by Sifiso Learning Group’s Nation NXT College and MarketPlace Academy, supported by Deloitte, Consulting Engineers South Africa, the Engineering Council of South Africa and the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants, the summit brought together leaders from government, education, economics, research and industry to confront South Africa’s mathematics crisis and move the national conversation beyond diagnosis and into implementation.
More than 53 schools – including their principals, FET and Senior Phase mathematics and science teachers – joined policymakers, economists, researchers, business leaders and government representatives at the summit under the theme: The Numbers Don’t Lie – Know the Numbers, Change the Story. Additional educators, school leaders and stakeholders from across the country joined online through the summit’s national webinar stream
Professor Wiseman Nkuhlu, chairman of MarketPlace Academy, stressed the importance of moving beyond discussion and into implementation.
“No country has lifted itself out of poverty by making it easy to master science, mathematics and technology. We must stop making excuses and move beyond diagnosis to implementation. The greatest lever for success we have is the transformation of our education system – firmly anchored in mathematics and science,” said Professor Nkuhlu.
Ashleigh Theophanides, chief strategy officer at Deloitte Africa, reinforced the developmental importance of mathematics education on behalf of headline sponsor Deloitte Africa. “Learner performance in maths is not just an academic issue – it is a development issue. With only 7% of matriculants qualifying for Stem degrees, data gives us the opportunity to act before the status quo becomes permanent. Maths is a gateway and the language of opportunity.
“When maths outcomes shift, everything shifts – from economic participation and innovation to confidence, opportunity and national growth. That is why Deloitte Africa is proud to sponsor this event,” said Theophanides.
The summit programme also featured contributions from leaders across education research, economics and classroom practice, including Isaah Mhlanga from RMB, Professor Adrian Saville from GIBS, Mampho Langa from Nation NXT College, Bernice Skhotha from Numeric and a teacher-led “Maths in Practice” panel focused on scalable classroom implementation strategies.
