The Department of Basic Education (DBE) hosted a two-day Numeracy Roundtable from 29 to 30 October 2026 in Pretoria, bringing together government representatives, development partners, researchers, academics and numeracy experts to explore evidence-based approaches to improving mathematics education in South Africa.

The Roundtable provided a platform for stakeholders to exchange expertise and contribute to shaping a research design to inform the implementation and scaling up of the National Mathematics Improvement Programme (NMIP).

Discussions highlighted the importance of integrating research, implementation and evaluation to strengthen mathematics teaching and learning and achieve sustained improvements in learner performance.

Dr Andile Dube from UNICEF reflected on the importance of partnerships in strengthening foundational learning and improving numeracy outcomes. She reaffirmed UNICEF’s commitment to literacy, numeracy and early childhood development, emphasising the need for government and development partners to align their efforts, build on existing evidence and scale up effective interventions.

The DBE’s Ms Bonita Goetham, presented on the NMIP, which aimed to improve mathematics achievement from Grades R to 9 through strengthened teaching practices, curriculum alignment and evidence-based interventions. She highlighted the importance of developing learners’ conceptual understanding through problem-solving, mathematical reasoning and fluency, alongside teacher development, appropriate learning resources and the Concrete-Pictorial-Abstract approach.

Dr Stephen Taylor, Director for Research Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation, presented the proposed research project, which forms part of the South Africa Education Accelerator, launched by the DBE in partnership with the World Economic Forum in April 2026. One of the Accelerator’s key pillars focuses on improving the quality of foundational learning, which includes research into foundational numeracy.

He explained that the research project will inform implementation at scale by exploring how the NMIP can contribute to sustained improvements in learner achievement.

Dr Mark Chetty, Director for National Assessments, presented on South Africa’s national assessment landscape, outlining existing assessment systems used to monitor learner performance. He emphasised the importance of using available assessment data to inform research, guide classroom practice and strengthen evidence-based decision-making across the education system.

On the second and final day, participants engaged in various break-away discussions focusing on aspects of the research design that can inform the NMIP implementation pathway. Topics included evidence-based practices from provincial education departments, non-governmental partners, and teacher support models such as coaching and training. Finally, discussions explored early grade numeracy benchmarks including suitable skills to benchmark and longitudinal datasets that can help examine learner progression using existing data and collecting new data where there are gaps.

The Roundtable reinforced the importance of collaboration, continuous research and evidence-informed implementation in strengthening foundational learning and advancing numeracy outcomes for learners across the country.