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Three South African students work on Siyuvula math assignments using a phone

Siyavula Math Education Technology Helps Students in South Africa Excel

Project Overview

Mathematics is one of the most in-demand skills in South Africa’s job market. Yet in Gauteng Province, only 15% of students pass the Grade 12 final math exam each year. Especially in lower-income schools, it is difficult for students to get the math education they need and for teachers with limited resources to support them.

That’s where Siyavula comes in. The company creates education technology tools that benefit teachers and students while reducing inequality in the country’s education system.

Siyavula is deploying its math education technology in 40 Gauteng high schools to reach more than 17,000 students and increase their math engagement. The tech also helps teachers and administrators track and support students’ math progress in a way that is integrated with other learner data.

Siyavula gives our students invaluable skills for university, as it teaches them to be independent learners.

John Pym, Prestige College

How it Helps

Siyavula’s philosophy is that if kids practice math, they will get better. High-quality technology tools can boost math learning, but only if students can easily access them and if teachers are equipped to support learners with the tools. Siyavula is deploying its math software for free which is zero-rated it on all networks so users don’t incur data costs.

Additionally, Siyavula is helping the staff adopt the tool. This support includes integrating existing student performance data into the Siyavula platform to improve how teachers track learning outcomes. The support also empowers teachers to coach and mentor students as they progress with the math program. The product frees up administration time for teachers by making it easier to assign homework and track student progress.

Siyavula’s platform provides learners with virtually unlimited questions that become progressively more difficult as they give correct answers. It adapts to students’ strengths and areas for improvement, feeding them math questions tailored to where they are in their learning journey. Students receive immediate feedback on their work and get step-by-step solutions to help them better understand concepts. The platform’s game-like qualities help to engage students — an approach Siyavula incorporates in initiatives like its #millionmaths campaign to reach 1 million math questions answered in a month.

Government schools often lack the funding or capability to test and deploy robust education technology. This widens the achievement gap between students at lower-income schools compared to their peers at higher-income schools. With a proven tool and targeted support to use it, Gauteng teachers now have the resources and knowledge they need to help their students advance in math. By improving this skill, students will have a strong foundation for their future careers and livelihoods.