{"id":6742,"date":"2026-08-03T13:23:13","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:23:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?p=188697"},"modified":"2026-08-03T13:23:13","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T11:23:13","slug":"south-africas-mathematics-crisis-demands-urgent-focus-on-teacher-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/south-africas-mathematics-crisis-demands-urgent-focus-on-teacher-development\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s Mathematics Crisis Demands Urgent Focus on Teacher Development"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 ez-toc-wrap-center counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title ez-toc-toggle\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/south-africas-mathematics-crisis-demands-urgent-focus-on-teacher-development\/#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg><svg class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\" \/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<p><em>Kagiso Trust<\/em> <em>and University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Education\u2019s<\/em><strong>, <\/strong><em>Education Conversations webinar identifies educator professionalisation as the key lever for reversing decline in participation<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"KEY_POINTS\"><\/span><strong>KEY POINTS<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<li>Long-term commitment is essential: this is not a challenge that can be fixed quickly. It requires sustained investment and collaboration.<\/li>\n<li>Solutions already exist: dedicated teachers, innovative digital platforms, mentorship programmes and private-public partnerships are delivering results. The challenge is scaling these successes nationally.<\/li>\n<li>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.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Only <a href=\"https:\/\/mg.co.za\/thought-leader\/2026-01-22-the-maths-behind-the-88-matric-pass\/\">one in three<\/a> 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 \u201cEducation Conversations\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU\">webinar<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Nicolas Mmako, who leads Investec\u2019s Corporate Social Investments in mathematics and science education, noted that when teachers have been \u201cproduced by a system which failed to help them realise their ultimate potential\u201d, they cannot be expected to \u201cunleash the maximum potential of a learner\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>However, Mmako warned that professionalisation is not a quick fix. \u201cWe have to be in it for the long haul,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is a whole system challenge that requires very intentional, long-term collaboration \u2013 not a microwave approach.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Building_resilience_and_changing_narratives\"><\/span><strong>Building resilience and changing narratives<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>While teacher development emerged as the foundational solution, panellists also identified supporting concepts essential to reversing the decline.<\/p>\n<p>Mlungisi Nkosi, an educational content creator with 379,000 YouTube subscribers, reframed mathematics not as a difficult subject but as a vehicle for teaching \u201cproductive struggle\u201d \u2013 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMathematics does not only open doors to opportunity,\u201d Nkosi said. \u201cThrough productive struggle, it builds the discipline and resilience needed to solve problems whose answers do not yet exist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Ernest Phahlamohlaka, who teaches mathematics to Limpopo learners in grades 11 and 12, said teaching must move away from abstract concepts disconnected from learners\u2019 daily lives. Instead, mathematics should be connected to real-world applications that help learners see its relevance and reduce the stigma surrounding the subject.<\/p>\n<p>Panellists warned that continued decline in mathematics participation threatens South Africa\u2019s economic competitiveness. Mmako said: \u201cThere is no path to economic growth and inclusion that will bypass mathematics.\u201d With artificial intelligence and data-driven decision-making reshaping the global economy, countries that fail to develop mathematically literate workforces will fall behind.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Call_to_collective_action\"><\/span><strong>Call to collective action<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>No stakeholder can solve this crisis alone, said panellists. Schools, universities, government, industry, communities and civil society organisations must work together.<\/p>\n<p>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.<\/p>\n<p>Solutions already exist in pockets across the country. Dedicated teachers, innovative digital learning platforms, mentorship programmes and private\u2013public collaborations are changing learner outcomes. The challenge is scaling these successes and ensuring they reach every learner.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Panellists highlighted seven key interventions to end the mathematics crisis in schools:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Make teacher development a strategic priority with adequate funding and time.<\/li>\n<li>Shift the national narrative around mathematics from \u201cit\u2019s difficult\u201d to \u201cit builds the resilience we need\u201d.<\/li>\n<li>Establish school cultures that value mathematics and support teachers and learners.<\/li>\n<li>Create safe spaces where learners can fail, learn and persist without shame.<\/li>\n<li>Start interventions as early as grades 8 and 9, not just Grade 12.<\/li>\n<li>Build partnerships between schools, universities and industry to show real-world applications and career pathways.<\/li>\n<li>Empower parents, even those who did not study mathematics, to support learner participation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Kagiso Trust\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Watch the conversation: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU<\/a><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Images\"><\/span><strong>Images:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<figure id=\"attachment_188698\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-188698\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/?attachment_id=188698\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-188698 size-full lazyload\" alt width=\"724\" height=\"1024\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 724px) 100vw, 724px\" src=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sizakele-Mphatsoe-scaled.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sizakele-Mphatsoe-scaled.jpg 724w, https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sizakele-Mphatsoe-442x625.jpg 442w, https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sizakele-Mphatsoe-212x300.jpg 212w\"><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-188698\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Sizakele Mphatsoe \u2013 Kagiso Trust\u2019s Head of Education. Photo: Supplied by Client<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Video\"><\/span><strong>Video:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=9_Xo6B_ADhU<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em>South Africa\u2019s mathematics crisis demands urgent focus on teacher development<\/em><\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Links\"><\/span><strong>Links:<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/South Africa\u2019s mathematics crisis demands urgent focus on teacher development\/2\/\">Boilerplate and Editor\u2019s Notes<\/a><\/strong>.<br \/><strong>More Info on <a href=\"https:\/\/kagiso.co.za\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">South Africa\u2019s mathematics crisis demands urgent focus on teacher development<\/a> here:<\/strong><br \/><strong>X<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/fyfeturck\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/x.com\/fyfeturck<\/a><br \/><strong>LinkedIn<\/strong>: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alison-fyfe-turck-19377169\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/alison-fyfe-turck-19377169<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/save-with-myprs-monthly-flat-fee\/\">CLICK HERE to submit your press release to MyPR.co.za<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Genesis Simple Share error: This location ( after ) has already been used. --><strong><\/p>\n<h3>Track Your Press Release HERE:<\/h3>\n<p><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"mypr-visibility-box\" readability=\"4.2608695652174\">\n<h4>Check Online Visibility<\/h4>\n<p>Verify where this release is currently indexed:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/p>\n<div class=\"entry-pagination pagination\">Pages: <span class=\"post-page-numbers current\" aria-current=\"page\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>1<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/south-africas-mathematics-crisis-demands-urgent-focus-on-teacher-development\/2\/\" class=\"post-page-numbers\"><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Page <\/span>2<\/a><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/south-africas-mathematics-crisis-demands-urgent-focus-on-teacher-development\/\" target=\"_blank\">CLICK HERE to Read the Original Press Release on MyPR<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Table of Contents Kagiso Trust and University of Johannesburg, Faculty of Education\u2019s, 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 &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","autoblue_enabled":true,"autoblue_custom_message":"","autoblue_shares":[{"did":"did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic","date":"2026-08-03T11:28:28+00:00","uri":"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3ms6ff7axn22g","response":"{\"uri\":\"at:\/\/did:plc:revymtt5qssww7e7avbruzic\/app.bsky.feed.post\/3ms6ff7axn22g\",\"cid\":\"bafyreifnwavvczjeqydn4v6zv2mp25oj44xy743mlmijlohgshalpohpvm\",\"commit\":{\"cid\":\"bafyreicxmxuwgqopp2elcal2hra7t67b4gvb4aj7mepsibv2twnnxh2q4y\",\"rev\":\"3ms6ff7b6hs2g\"},\"validationStatus\":\"valid\"}"}],"autoblue_post_url":"","autoblue_publish_document":false,"republication-tracker-tool-hide-widget":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[28,3],"tags":[29],"class_list":["type-post","category-featured","category-news","tag-mypr-africa","entry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6742","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6742"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6742\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6742"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6742"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mypr.co.za\/mail\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6742"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}