The Reality of Maths Education in South Africa
1,177,089 children entered Grade 1 in 2011.
Only 725,146 of them wrote matric in 2022.
269,734 of them wrote pure maths.
Only 33,815 obtained with a mark above 60% or above, ensuring them entry into university studies in maths and sciences.
Less than 3% of children who started school together in Grade 1 finished matric in 2022 with a solid understanding of mathematics and the skills required to access tertiary studies in maths and sciences.
To address this, Numeric has developed a unique after school maths program targeting late primary school learners to improve their maths skills.
What is the After-School Maths Program?
We partner with 41 primary schools across three provinces in South Africa, where learners apply to be part of our program. We select 50 learners whom we divide into two classes of 25 learners each.
The after-school maths program has classes that run for 1.5 – 2 hours twice each week, totaling 3-4 hours a week, to reach our target of 100 hours of extra maths instruction throughout the year. The after-school maths program is staffed with the pre-service teachers who are carefully selected, trained, and mentored by Numeric staff as they complete their yearlong internship with us.
We believe that an intervention at the high school level is too late to stem the tide of drop-out and loss of confidence in this important subject. That is why our after-school maths program intervention focus on the last two years of primary school – our work allows more learners to leave primary school with a solid foundation in basic mathematics, enabling them to choose pure mathematics and be more successful in high school mathematics, thereby gaining access to tertiary studies.
Why is the After-School Maths Program Unique?
It’s Low cost
It’s High Impact
It’s Scalable
Numeric Winter Maths Camp
Each year during the winter holidays, we hold a Math Camp for the top-performing learners in our after-school programs. The camps are held on university campuses in Cape Town, Johannesburg, and Durban and provide learners a fun, stimulating, and engaging week of additional instruction, guest speakers, games, and interactive activities. They’re also given opportunities to learn and apply maths in new and different ways, make new friends and have lots of fun! As these camps draw learners from all of our programs, they’re also an opportunity for learners from different racial, ethnic, religious, cultural, and linguistic backgrounds to meet and learn from each other. For many of our learners, this is also their first opportunity to visit a university campus and begin to envision their future beyond school. We hope that this exposure, both to new people and the university sparks their motivation for future study.
Numeric Maths Olympiad
In 2015, Numeric launched an Olympiad for all participating learners in our after-school programs. This Olympiad provides a unique opportunity to practice applying maths logic and reasoning in new ways while preparing learners for higher levels of maths and other maths competitions they may encounter in high school.
Our Reach
Partner Schools
Active Coaches
Learners
Our Coaches
Our programs are staffed by passionate young Coaches who themselves are training to become maths teachers. With just one in six applicants securing a coaching position, we are able to ensure a high quality of Coach that in turn ensures a high-quality learning outcome.
