South Africa must stop offering Mathematical Literacy in schools

Dr Mamokgethi Phakeng said that while introducing Mathematical Literacy was well-intended, it should be done away with in schools.

Phakeng was a South African professor of mathematics education and former vice-chancellor of the University of Cape Town.

She is, therefore, well-positioned on the merits of Mathematical Literacy and whether it should be offered.

Mathematical Literacy, known as Maths Lit, is a fundamental subject in the South African Further Education and Training (FET) phase.

Mathematical Literacy was officially introduced into the South African school curriculum in January 2006.

Its implementation was part of the National Curriculum Statement (NCS) rollout, which aimed to modernize the education system.

Before this new subject, learners could drop Mathematics after Grade 9, which means they would have no exposure to Mathematics in Grades 10 to 12.

The new subject ensured that anyone who did not take Mathematics was still required to engage with mathematical logic until they matriculated.

It was designed as a distinct subject focused on the practical application of mathematical concepts in real-world contexts.

The subject covers numerous basic numeracy skills, including interpreting and communicating answers and calculations.

It also focuses on patterns, relationships, and representations, with applications in finance and measurements.

Other topics covered in the syllabus include maps, plans, and other representations of the physical world; data handling; and probability.

The goal is to produce citizens who can interpret a water bill, calculate interest on a hire-purchase agreement, or understand the statistics in a news report.

Historically, a large proportion of South African learners left school without a mathematical grounding.

Maths Lit was intended to ensure that no learner is mathematically illiterate in a modern, data-driven society.

Do away with Mathematical Literacy

Phakeng told the CheckPoint Podcast that Mathematical Literacy was well-intentioned but is not serving the purpose for which it was designed.

South Africa previously had Higher Grade and Standard Grade Mathematics. This distinction has fallen away.

Under the new system, there are Mathematics Core and Mathematical Literacy. Students have to pick between the two.

She said weaker students used to move from Higher Grade to Standard Grade Mathematics. They are now pushed to much easier Mathematical Literacy.

“I think Mathematical Literacy should be done away with,” she said, adding that it does not help students to enter courses in university.

“Even if you achieve a distinction in Maths Lit, students do not get any points for that in the university scoring system,” she explained.

She explained that schools incentivize learners to move from Mathematics to Mathematical Literacy because it increases the school’s average performance.

“The school’s average looks good, but the Department of Basic Education does not look at why the performance is good,” she said.

“Even when they count the number of distinctions for a school, they do not exclude Mathematical Literacy.”

She argued that if Mathematical Literacy had never been introduced, it would not have created a problem of learners moving away from Mathematics.

Instead of moving children away from Mathematics when they struggle with it, schools should encourage them to spend more time on the subject to improve.

She advocated for changing the incentive structures for schools to reward them for achieving good Mathematics results.