South African pupils are struggling to master basic maths and science skills, with grade 4s ranking last in an international study released on Wednesday.
The 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS) saw South Africa's scores slide in all categories except grade 9 maths, which saw a slight improvement in the previous round of the study, conducted in 2019.
Grade 5s, who were compared to grade 4s from 58 other countries, scored on average 362 for maths and 308 for science, out of a possible 1,000. In 2019 they scored 374 and 324 respectively. By contrast, top-ranked Singapore scored an average of 615 for grade 4 maths and 605 for grade 8 maths in TIMSS 2023.
Only 2% of South Africa's grade 5s reached the “advanced benchmark” score of 625, and just 6% attained the “high benchmark” score of between 550 and 624. Forty percent of grade 5s failed to meet even the “low benchmark” score of 400.
The results are consistent with South Africa's performance in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), which gauges children’s reading comprehension. South Africa ranked last of the 57 participating countries, with 81% of children unable to comprehend a basic text. Its average score was 288, down from 320 in 2016.
Budget cuts
The studies raise tough questions for basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube about how to target the sector’s limited resources, as budget cuts imposed by the Treasury and increased enrolments have led to a drop in spending per child.
South Africa spends a relatively high proportion of GDP on basic education by international standards, yet the patterns etched by apartheid largely remain.
Too many learners progress through the education system without mastering foundational skills, particularly in maths and science
— Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube
In 2020, the average spending on basic education as a share of GDP among Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries was 3.3%. South Africa spent 4.7% of GDP on basic education in 2020/21, but this fell to 4.4% in 2023/24 and is projected to decline over the medium term.
Spending per pupil fell from R27,756 in 2019/20 to R26,437 in 2022/23 in real 2024/25 rand terms, a decrease of 4.8%, according to the Research on Socioeconomic Policy Group at Stellenbosch University.
Both the latest TIMSS and the 2021 PIRLS studies found significantly worse performance among pupils from schools serving poor communities and among children who did not write tests in their home language, adding to the pressure to bolster the resources available to schools in the most deprived communities and expand mother tongue education
Grade 5 pupils in quintile 1 schools serving the poorest communities averaged 307 for maths and 227 for science, while those from quintile 5 serving wealthier families averaged 492 for maths and 493 for science.
Language loomed large: grade 5s who always spoke the language of the test at home scored on average 405 for maths and 376 for science, while those who never spoke the language of the test at home scored an average 294 for maths and 214 for science.
South Africa's grade 9s also did poorly by in the latest TIMSS study, placing fifth from the bottom in maths and third-last in science. The grade 9 pupils, who were compared with grade 8s from other countries, scored on average 397 for maths and 362 for science. They scored 389 and 362 respectively in the previous TIMSS study.
The same association between socioeconomic circumstances and home language was observed in grade 9s. Singapore’s grade 4s scored 607, while its grade 8s scored 606.
Gwarube admitted the scale of the problem at the launch of the TIMSS report, saying: “Too many learners progress through the education system without mastering foundational skills, particularly in maths and science.
“These deficits accumulate over time, limiting learners’ ability to succeed in higher grades and diminishing their prospects of accessing further education and employment opportunities,” she said.
Gwarube also released the fifth Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality survey, which reported a regression in reading and numeracy skills, and a decline in pupil and teacher knowledge about HIV/Aids compared with the previous survey, published last year.
The “2022 SA Systematic Evaluation”, which examined children in grades 3, 6 and 9, found pupils from wealthier schools performed better at maths and reading tests across all grades, and that this disparity was amplified in higher grades.
In all the studies, pupils in the Western Cape and Gauteng consistently outperformed those from other provinces.
Benchmark
Gwarube said the reports provided a benchmark against which to measure the impact of the department’s work, which included expanding access to quality early development programmes.
“The evidence is clear: early learning is critical to long-term academic success. While this is a resource-intensive exercise, it is necessary to set up our children for a successful schooling career,” she said.
The department was also rolling out a mother-tongue bilingual-based education programme to support provincial education departments help schools expand access to mother tongue education.
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