{"id":94283,"date":"2025-01-16T08:42:45","date_gmt":"2025-01-16T06:42:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/?p=94283"},"modified":"2025-01-16T08:42:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-16T06:42:45","slug":"south-africas-matric-results-experts-urge-a-deeper-look-beyond-the-numbers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/south-africas-matric-results-experts-urge-a-deeper-look-beyond-the-numbers\/","title":{"rendered":"South Africa\u2019s Matric Results: Experts Urge a Deeper Look Beyond the Numbers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za<\/a><\/p>\n

3-minute read<\/em>
\n16 January 2025 | 08:39 CAT<\/p>\n

\"\"

Bridging the gap between education, mathematics, and tomorrow\u2019s skills.<\/p><\/div>\n

South Africa recently celebrated a notable improvement in matric pass rates, signalling progress in the education sector. However, beneath the celebratory headlines lies a pressing issue: the diminishing number of learners opting for mathematics. This alarming trend is just one of many challenges raised by Professor Kathija Yassim, an education expert and Associate Professor in the Department of Education Leadership and Management, in an interview with Radio Islam International<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cMathematics is a key gateway subject,\u201d Yassim highlighted. \u201cWithout it, how can we prepare young people for future jobs that demand mathematical and algorithmic skills?\u201d Despite improved matric results, fewer than 30% of learners take mathematics, which drastically limits their access to careers requiring analytical and problem-solving expertise.<\/p>\n

South Africa’s global educational standing further underscores the urgency for reform. In a 2024 comparative study involving learners from 58 countries, South Africa ranked last. \u201cThree decades into democracy and educational reform, how are we still not getting it right?\u201d Yassim asked. This \u00a0reality raises questions about the effectiveness of current policies and teaching methodologies.<\/p>\n

Yassim advocates for transforming the teaching approach rather than overhauling the curriculum. She cited successful examples from resource-strapped schools that made mathematics life-relevant. By integrating real-world applications such as using quadratic equations for product projections, these schools have helped learners grasp complex concepts more effectively.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen children use mathematics in a way that\u2019s life-relevant, it makes sense to them,\u201d said Yassim, emphasizing the importance of practical learning.<\/p>\n

Technology and artificial intelligence (AI) are reshaping the job market, and South Africa’s education system must keep pace. Yassim warned, \u201cPeople who fail to use AI effectively in their work will be replaced by those who do.\u201d She highlighted that children are already adept at using tools like Meta Llama on WhatsApp, often outpacing adults in their digital fluency.<\/p>\n

Yassim believes the key to educational reform lies in engaging with young people. \u201cWe do not live in the world of our children. Education fails them because we don\u2019t listen,\u201d she said. By understanding students’ perspectives and aligning education with their realities, South Africa can create a system that empowers its youth for the future.<\/p>\n

Yassim concluded, \u201cThrough innovation and collaboration, we can ensure our children go from strength to strength.\u201d<\/p>\n

Listen to the full interview on Your World Today with Moulana Habib Bobat and Professor Kathija Yassim here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Neelam Rahim | neelam@radioislam.co.za 3-minute read 16 January 2025 | 08:39 CAT South Africa recently celebrated a notable improvement in matric pass rates, signalling progress in the education sector. However, beneath the celebratory headlines lies a pressing issue: the diminishing number of learners opting for mathematics. This alarming trend is just one of many challenges […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":29,"featured_media":94284,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[28,4995],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-94283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news","category-south-africa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/2020-01-10_mathsperformance.jpg?fit=800%2C449&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pc0QIf-owH","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-04-23 22:52:12","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94283","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/29"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=94283"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/94283\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/94284"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=94283"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=94283"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/radioislam.org.za\/a\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=94283"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}