South Africa’s Department of Basic Education (DBE) has disclosed that 464 public high schools across the country currently do not offer mathematics as a subject, raising alarm over the nation’s ongoing struggle to improve mathematics proficiency and STEM readiness among learners.
The revelation, part of a broader departmental update, underscores serious systemic challenges.
KwaZulu-Natal leads with 135 schools not offering mathematics, followed by the Eastern Cape (84), Limpopo (78), and the Western Cape (61).
More urbanised provinces such as Gauteng and North West have 31 such schools each, while Mpumalanga has the fewest at 11.
Not all schools have the resources
According to the DBE, learners begin selecting subject streams in Grade 10, and not all schools have the resources or demand to support both mathematics and mathematical literacy.
The department cited limited enrolment, teacher shortages, and budget constraints as key contributing factors.
“While Mathematics remains a high-priority subject, some schools lack sufficient capacity to offer it effectively,” the DBE said.
“We continue to promote its uptake through monthly provincial engagements, professional teacher development, and targeted support interventions.”
This comes amid a national decline in mathematics enrolment.
Only 34% of matric learners wrote mathematics in 2023 – down from 46% in 2011 – with just 255 762 candidates registered in 2024.
Of these, only a small fraction attain the 60% mark required for entry into technical university degrees like engineering and actuarial science.
Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube described the decline as a serious threat to South Africa’s progress in science, innovation, and economic development.
Foundational learning gaps and poor performance on international benchmarks are compounding the crisis.
South Africa ranked last in the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS), despite assessing learners a grade higher than the global standard to account for academic shortfalls.
Gwarube affirmed the DBE’s commitment to reform.
“We recognise the urgency and are implementing strategic interventions aligned with global best practices to improve learner participation and performance in mathematics,” she said.
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