Teacher unions have strongly criticised the Department of Basic Education for failing to address the chronic shortage of maths teachers.
Teacher Unions Slam Education Department
According to Mail&Guardian, The South African Democratic Teachers Union’s (Sadtu) Mugwena Maluleka questioned the department’s human resource management.
Noting that while universities continue to produce education graduates, many learners’ needs are still being neglected.
This follows shocking revelations that 464 schools across South Africa no longer offer mathematics as a subject.
Naptosa’s Basil Manuel added that the growing number of schools without mathematics undermines the future of the country’s education system.
According to the department, the affected schools include 135 in KwaZulu-Natal, 84 in the Eastern Cape, 78 in Limpopo and 61 in the Western Cape.
Nationally, the percentage of learners opting to study maths dropped from 46% in 2011 to 34% in 2023.
In 2024, only 255 762 learners registered for maths, down from 268 100 in 2023.
