Grade 10 enrolments by type of mathematics in the Gauteng Province

Introduction

Choosing between Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy or Technical Maths is an important choice for learners in Grade 10. The choice that learners make has important implications for both their own future study and career opportunities, but also, at a larger scale, for the level of skills available to the economy as a whole. This Map of the Month shows the distribution of choices between the three mathematical subjects made by Grade 10 learners across schools in Gauteng in 2025.

The analysis that follows first outlines the three mathematics options available to students, and then plots enrolment rates for each subject in public schools across the province. The discussion emphasises the importance of context (Akoojee 2012; Allais 2012; Kraak 2008), asking what future pathways for learners may be, given their choices, and what the profile of subject choices means for economic planning. The conclusion briefly considers policy interventions, and argues that economic policy should confront the challenges of growing low skilled employment in Gauteng.

Understanding mathematics options

In South Africa, taking one of the mathematics options is compulsory from Grade 10. Learners choose between Mathematics, Mathematical Literacy and, in some schools where it is available, Technical Mathematics. A summary of the focus and intent of these subjects is shown in the table below.

Table 1: Mathematics content and related pathways.

Data and analysis

Data was sourced from the Education Management Information System (EMIS) housed in the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). EMIS is a centralised data system run by the GDE to collect, store, manage, and analyse information about learners, teachers and resources in schools across the province. Data was sourced from EMIS for 661 public secondary schools, focusing on Grade 10 Mathematics participation. Grade 10 was selected as it is the year that learners make their subject choices. It also provides a baseline for analysis of changes in learner choices in subsequent years. This analysis covers only Public Ordinary Schools and Schools of Specialisation (South African Schools Act, 1996). In Schools of Specialisation the curriculum is aligned with the skills-demands of industries such as engineering, technology, performing arts, agriculture, or hospitality. This analysis excludes special needs schools and independent schools.

The spatial analysis of data is presented using two measures:

1. Majority subject: which version of maths the majority of learners in each school is enrolled in.
2. Subject level distribution: the percentage of all Grade 10 learners per school taking each of the three mathematical choices, with the three subject choices mapped separately.

Data is plotted at a school level in each map. The main reason for doing this is that areas like Soshanguve, Soweto and Vosloorus have a high number of people and, in turn, more schools. Other areas such as central business districts, traditionally white suburbs, and some townships have fewer schools. For example, Carletonville has six public high schools, with three of them located in the township of Khutsong and three in town.

In each of the maps insets are provided for Pretoria Central/Mamelodi (Inset 1) and Soweto (Inset 2).

Majority mathematics subject selection

The 2025 Grade 10 cohort in Gauteng schools consists of 222 401 learners. Of these, only 33.0% (73 345) take Mathematics, while 63.7% (141 653) take Mathematical Literacy. The remaining 3.3% (7 403) of learners are enrolled in Technical Mathematics.

Map 1 plots which type of mathematics the most students are enrolled in per school. On the map, the majority subject (i.e. most learners enrolled for this subject) is denoted by dots:

● Green - Mathematics

● Yellow - Mathematical Literacy

● Dark red - Technical Mathematics

Map 1: Mathematics enrolment with highest percentage per public secondary school in Gauteng.

The map clearly shows that the majority subject in most schools in Gauteng is Mathematical Literacy. Learners enrolled in Mathematical literacy are excluded from enrolling in Physical Sciences, which limits options for university study. The implication is that the majority of students would be unable to access university programmes such as engineering or computer programming on completing matric. Moreover, opportunities in the Technical and Vocational Education Training Colleges (TVET) sector are limited, with just 500 000 students enrolled (Department of Higher Education and Training, 2025).

The overall distribution is better understood through quintiles. The South African education system classifies public schools into five categories (quintiles 1 to 5) based on the socioeconomic status of the communities they serve, primarily for purposes of resource allocation. Whilst the quintile classification was valid when the system was first introduced, with Quintiles 1, 2 and 3 being the schools not paying school fees, and quintiles 4 and 5 being fee-paying schools, this distinction is no longer as clearly defined. Population change in the feeder areas of schools has directly impacted on the socio-economic status of the learners attending some schools. It is therefore possible to have quintile 4 and 5 schools that are no-fee schools.

Figure 1 shows the percentage of learners enrolled in each of the three mathematics subject choices by schools in each quintile. In overall terms across all schools, enrolment in Mathematical Literacy is 80.1%. However, in Quintile 1, 2 and 3 schools enrolments in Mathematical Literacy stands at over 90%.

Only 17.1% of schools (See Figure 1) have Mathematics as a majority subject. The data shows that schools with the majority subject being mathematics is below 50% across all quintiles. In only 41.1% of Quintile 5 schools are the majority of learners doing Mathematics. In Quintile 1 schools the situation is particularly dire, with only 3.8% of schools being majority Mathematics schools. The data shows that poorer learners are significantly less likely to be able to access options at many universities as they are not enrolled for Mathematics. In one school, Vosloorus Comprehensive Secondary School, the number of learners taking Mathematical Literacy and Technical Maths is the same.

Figure 1: Majority learner enrolments by Mathematics subject options by quintile.

Subject level distribution

In the following analysis the percentage enrolment for each of the mathematics subject choices is mapped separately.

Mathematical Literacy

The map below shows the percentage of Grade 10 learners enrolled in Mathematical Literacy per school across Gauteng. The darker the shade of orange, the higher the percentage of learners enrolled in the subject.

Map 2: Percentage of Grade 10 learners enrolled in Mathematical Literacy per secondary school across Gauteng.

Relative to the other two subject choices mapped below, this map has a large number of darker orange (61-80 %) and darkest orange dots (81-100%) across the province. Inset 2, which highlights Soweto, provides a picture that is representative of most other township areas, where very high percentages of learners are enrolled in Mathematical Literacy. In Soweto, as with other townships, most schools are also categorised as no-fee schools because of the low socio-economic status of the area.

Mathematics

Whilst the map covering Mathematical Literacy has a preponderance of darker orange dots, the one for Mathematics has a preponderance of grey dots. Overall, only 112 out of 654 schools (17%) are Majority Mathematics. Of these, 92 schools are Quintile 5 schools.

Map 3: Percentage of Grade 10 learners enrolled in Mathematics per secondary school across Gauteng.

Here again, the patterns in Inset 1 on Soweto provide insights into distributional challenges. In only three public ordinary schools in Soweto do 80-100% of Grade 10 learners take Mathematics, and in only four additional schools does the percentage stand at 40-60%. Whilst Soweto has a diversity of quintile schools, the majority remain no-fee paying schools. Across the distribution, only 8% of learners in Quintiles 1, 2, and 3 schools take Mathematics as opposed to Mathematical Literacy or Technical Mathematics.

Schools of Specialisation have high percentages of students (58.8% on average) doing mathematics. This is encouraging as Schools of Specialisation are often located in poorer areas. The challenge remains whether access translates to higher levels of performance given the resources allocated to Schools of Specialisation.

Technical Mathematics

Technical Mathematics is a new subject, having been introduced into the curriculum in 2016. It may only be offered by schools also offering other technical subjects, and so this choice is available in only a small number of schools in Gauteng, most of which are Schools of Specialisation or schools registered as technical schools. The map therefore shows that the majority of schools (578 schools) fall into the 0-20% category of learners taking Technical Mathematics. For schools that do have a high percentage taking Technical Mathematics there is no overall pattern. Tshwane West and Sedibeng each have three schools with a high percentage of Grade 10 taking this subject, with most other regions having only one or none. One feature is that if all Tshwane districts are combined, 7 of the 17 schools are from this region.

Map 4: Percentage of Grade 10 learners enrolled in Technical Mathematics per secondary school across Gauteng.

Assessing the impacts of economic and educational policies

Economic and educational planning both need to be informed by the actual supply of skills into the economy. In a sense, the economy should be focussing on what we have, and tailoring economic planning to support low skilled employment growth with opportunities for workers acquiring skills. In this strategic approach, there is a need to link economic instruments (especially skills development and Special Economic Zones) to support alternative pathways for learners to traditional university based subjects.

A range of measures have already taken place to link economic and educational planning, including:

• Gateway Subjects have been identified that link subject choices to economic planning priorities. Importantly the list of subjects includes options following STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) type careers, but also those outside STEM careers (Department of Education, 2025). The intent is to focus on key subjects that support employment and to monitor participation and achievement in these subjects.
• Government increasingly plays an intermediary role. Beyond well documented public employment programmes (Presidency of Republic of South Africa, 2023), the government is increasingly playing a role in anticipating employment demand, especially for low skilled jobs. In Gauteng this has included provincial government supporting training for solar technicians and cellular phone repairs (Monzon, 2023; Schütz, 2023).
• Linking economic and educational planning. The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) has established 36 schools of specialisation. Schools of Specialisation in Gauteng are public secondary schools that focus on providing learners with advanced, hands-on training and theory in specific high-demand fields. The aim of the programme is to address critical skills shortages and better align school education with regional and national economic needs. The placement of schools and selection of subjects is derived from Gauteng’s economic development strategy, specifically their locations within the five development corridors identified by the province (Development corridors match the areas of the three metropolitan municipalities and two district municipalities in Gauteng).

Despite these interventions, the data shows that enrolment rates across the three mathematics subject choices, by quintile, and spatially, continue to reflect and potentially reinforce existing inequalities in Gauteng. Schooling outcomes will likely benefit children at richer fee-paying schools, with learners from these schools better positioned to access opportunities associated with STEM post-school education and subsequently employment opportunities. The implication is that greater alignment between education and economic planning needs much more careful attention. While interventions like Schools of Specialisation are very important to enable participation in the economy, more could be done. Deeper engagements with opportunities for scaling employment outside of STEM is needed to respond to the existing and growing pool of young and unemployed people. For example, creating a multitude of internship and apprenticeship opportunities could provide a way for young adults without Mathematics to enter the economy.

References

Akoojee, S. (2012). Skills for inclusive growth in South Africa: Promising tides amidst perilous waters. International journal of educational development 32(5). Elsevier BV: 674–685.

Allais, S. (2012). Will skills save us? Rethinking the relationships between vocational education, skills development policies, and social policy in South Africa. International journal of educational development 32(5). Elsevier BV: 632–642.

Department of Education (2025). 2024 National Senior Certificate School Subject Report. Department of Education. Available at: https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/2024/2024%20NSC%20School%20Subject%20Report.pdf.

Department of Higher Education and Training (2025). Deputy Minister Buti Manamela briefs Parliament on performance of Higher Education and Training. Available at: https://www.gov.za/news/media-statements/deputy-minister-buti-manamela-briefs-parliament-performance-higher-education (accessed 28 July 2025).

Kraak, A. (2008). A critical review of the National Skills Development Strategy in South Africa. Journal of Vocational Education and Training 60(1). Informa UK Limited: 1–18.

Monzon, L. (2023). How to apply to become a Gauteng youth solar technician. Available at: https://htxt.co.za/2023/05/how-to-apply-to-become-a-gauteng-youth-solar-technician/ (accessed 31 July 2025).

Presidency of Republic of South Africa (2023). Presidential Employment Stimulus. Available at: https://pres-employment.openup.org.za/ (accessed 31 July 2025).

Schütz, E. (2023). Fixing what’s broken: certified cellphone repair training to upskill jobless. Available at: https://www.businesslive.co.za/bd/business-and-economy/2023-04-12-native-fixing-whats-broken-certified-cellphone-repair-training-to-upskill-jobless/ (accessed 31 July 2025).

South African Schools Act (1996). Available at: https://www.education.gov.za/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=aIolZ6UsZ5U%3D&tabid.

Inputs, edits, and comments: Jason Bell, Anna Sango, Graeme Gotz, Cristian Hamann, Dr Samkelisiwe Khanyile, Dr Laven Naidoo

Suggested citation: Hassen E, Naidoo Y, Bapela D, Mkwanazi N, Tshabalala F, Rambau V and Ramsay H (2025) Grade 10 enrolments by type of mathematics in the Gauteng Province, GCRO Map of the Month, July 2025. Gauteng City-Region Observatory, Johannesburg. https://doi.org/10.36634/JMBG3715