South Africa’s pure maths crisis: Only 45k of 700k matrics passed with 60%

South Africa is grappling with a severe maths confidence crisis, with only 3.6% of learners who started grade one in 2013 achieving a matric maths pass rate of 60% or higher in 2024.

Of the nearly 700,000 learners who wrote the exam, only about 45,000 passed pure maths with 60% or more.

However, Numeric is making significant progress in addressing this issue.

The programme targets the final two years of primary school, ensuring that more learners graduate with a strong foundation in basic mathematics.

This prepares them to choose pure mathematics in high school, sets them up for greater success in the subject, and ultimately improves their chances of gaining access to tertiary education.

Thanks to their efforts, dropout rates have decreased by 24%, the number of learners taking pure maths has increased by 59%, and the pass rate for students achieving 60% or higher in maths has risen by an impressive 71%.