SA's maths crisis

Of the 1 228 510 learners who entered Grade 1 in 2012 only 20,5% sat for the final core mathematics exam in the 2024 National Senior Certificate, and fewer than 1% achieved a distinction.

- Maryke Swart

This stark reality captures South Africa's decades-long mathematics crisis.

"Visualise this," said Greg Shapiro, founder of K2U Learning Systems. "If every learner who dropped out of core mathematics stood shoulder-to-shoulder the line would stretch from Cape Town to Johannesburg."

The ripple effects reach tertiary level, where around 120000 students compete for just 10000 university places. The country's true youth unemployment rate - closer to 45% than the often-quoted 31% - underscores the economic and human cost of this academic failure.

Yet Shapiro insisted the situation, though dire, can be fixed. "But the system needs to be rewired."

His wife, two daughters and their highly committed team are actively involved in building the organisation.

TURNING KNOWLEDGE INTO UNDERSTANDING (K2U)

K2U Learning Systems specialises in accelerated, mnemonic-based learning for STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics). The organisation, led by Shapiro, who has dedicated more than 40 years to developing transformative educational systems, follows a back-to-basics, brick-by-brick approach to rebuilding mathematical understanding.

He explained that the cracks in the system appear early. In Grade 7 learners face a curriculum that, due to high content volume, fails to prepare them for the algebra-heavy demands of Grade 8 and 9.

Skilled maths teachers are often reserved for senior grades, leaving junior learners - where foundations are laid - in less experienced hands.

Language barriers often compound the problem. Most isiXhosa, isiZulu or Sesotho-speaking learners switch to English in Grade 4, making it harder to grasp abstract concepts. By Grade 10 many schools report that from four classes, much less than half a class remains in core mathematics.