AdminTeacher unions in South Africa are slamming the Department of Basic Education for failing to hire maths teachers, resulting in 464 schools no longer offering the subject.
The South African Democratic Teachers Union (Sadtu) alleges that schools are pressuring learners in grade 10 and upwards to drop maths to protect overall matric pass rates.
Join our WhatsApp Channel“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 Sadtu’s Mugwena Maluleka.
The National Professional Teachers’ Organisation of South Africa (Naptosa) expressed concern that the high number of schools not teaching mathematics will hinder the progress of 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.
The department cited a persistent shortage of qualified maths teachers and resource constraints, including budget and timetabling limitations, as contributing factors.
“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 to maintain high matric pass rates.
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“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.
Equal Education warned that limited resources for core subjects like maths and physical sciences hinder learners’ progress through the curriculum. Key statistics include:
– 82.4% of public schools lack laboratories for hands-on learning in subjects like physical sciences.
– 74% of public schools do not have libraries, and over 40% of those that do are inadequately stocked.
– Poor infrastructure: Schools in rural provinces have significant historical infrastructure backlogs, with learners often learning in undignified conditions with poor sanitation and dilapidated infrastructure.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube highlighted the issue of learners progressing through the 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.
Rise Mzansi leader Songezo Zibi criticized the low number of learners taking maths and physical science, calling for measures to improve the 50% pass mark in these subjects.
“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.
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Education activist Hendrick Makaneta emphasized the need for a collective effort to transform South Africa’s education system, focusing 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.
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