Maths crisis deepens joblessness and poor performance

South Africa risks falling further behind in the race for innovation in special economic growth areas such as technology, including the much-vaunted Fourth Industrial Revolution, because of poor performance in mathematics.

- By Mzwandile kaBizokwakhe

James Lees, CEO of Advantage Learn, which promotes maths education, said the impact of this failure in South Africa will be most felt in the loss of competitive advantage.

“Stem (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) capability underpins much of the world’s innovation, and without it, our economy will not grow to its full potential. Furthermore, without homegrown Stem talent, we risk missing opportunities to build new industries and create employment.”