So, the Class of 2024 has received its results, and the country is celebrating! The percentage of learners passing the National Senior Certificate has improved from 82,9% in 2023 to 87,3%.
Looking closer at the mathematics results reveals that not a lot has changed. Mathematics is historically the poorest-performing subject. After only exceeding the 60% benchmark in 2023, the first time in the 15 years since the advent of the NSC, the 2024 cohort improved on last year’s 63,5% pass rate to achieve 69,1% in mathematics. This sounds impressive!
Unfortunately, it is not the full picture. Of the 724 156 learners writing the NSC, only 35,7% wrote the mathematics examinations. This is a 2% drop from 2023. Mathematics is a gateway subject that is essential for South Africa’s socioeconomic development. How many of the Class of 2024 will go out into society with a pass in mathematics? Not 69,1%. Actually, it is just 24%. This is just 1% better than 2023.
What about the ‘quality’ passes in mathematics? In 2024, it appears that the percentage of learners achieving 60% and above has increased to 17,7% (it was 15,8% in 2023). Unfortunately, that 2% drop in 2024 of learners taking maths has resulted in just 6,3% of the cohort achieving quality passes. This is only a 0,3% increase from 2023.
Similarly, the percentage of the cohort achieving a distinction in maths has improved from 1,3% in 2023 to just 1,4% in 2024.
One might argue that there were more learners writing the NSC this year, but among almost three-quarters of a million learners, this increase is 8 437 learners. It means that in 2024 there were 68 more passes in maths, 25 more quality passes and 9 more distinctions than in 2023. Yes – we are moving forward – but very slowly!
South Africa needs more learners to choose to study mathematics in FET phase, and more learners to excel in maths in FET phase. To succeed with this, we need an action plan that starts in Grade R to prepare learners to feel confident and capable of studying maths by Grade 9. Mathematics is inherently sequential. It is built on a foundation of precise logic and structured knowledge. Each concept typically depends on a solid understanding of the preceding ones. For instance, a learner must grasp addition and subtraction, before they can effectively learn to multiply and divide. Similarly, algebra relies on a firm understanding of arithmetic with rational numbers, and calculus builds on algebra, geometry, and trigonometry.
Mathematics’ sequential structure necessitates an incremental approach to learning, where foundational concepts are introduced first, where understanding is methodically built towards more advanced concepts. Incremental learning in mathematics involves the gradual introduction of new ideas while reinforcing and expanding upon existing knowledge. By taking small, manageable steps through the years, and with regular consolidation, learners are more likely to retain knowledge and build the skills to use their maths knowledge to solve problems independently.
Learning mathematics is cumulative. Concepts are not learned in isolation but are interwoven to form a cohesive understanding of the subject. Understanding maths in this way provides learners with a problem-solving toolbox that they can apply and use in other subjects, in other contexts and for always, in real-life! This is how we build confident and capable mathematics learners!
