Global study reveals surprising gender gaps in maths learning in SA

14 Apr 2025

The results of South African pupils in the latest Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study turn many assumptions about mathematical capabilities and performance on their head.

School mathematics in South Africa is often seen as a sign of the health of the education system more generally. Under the racial laws of apartheid, until 1994, African people were severely restricted from learning maths. Tracking the changes in maths performance is a measure of how far the country has travelled in overcoming past injustices. Maths is also an essential foundation for meeting the challenges of the future.

In this article, I report on South African maths performance in Grade 5 (primary school) and Grade 9 (secondary school) in the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (Timss) and examine the gender gaps in mathematics achievement.

The study is conducted every four years. South Africa has participated in it at the secondary phase since 1995 and at the primary phase since 2015. The period between the 2019 and 2023 cycles was characterised by the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, social distancing and school closures.

The Department of Basic Education estimated that an average of 152 school contact days were lost in 2020 and 2021. South Africa was among the countries with the highest school closures, along with Colombia, Costa Rica and Brazil. At the other end, European countries lost fewer than 50 days.

Some academics measured the extent of learning losses for 2020 and 2021 school closures, but there were no models to estimate subsequent learning losses. We can get some clues of the effects on learning over four years by comparing patterns in South Africa against the other countries.

How did pupils perform?

The South African Grade 9 maths achievement improved by eight points from 389 in Timss 2019 to 397 in 2023. From the trends to Timss 2019, we had predicted a maths score of 403 in 2023.

For the 33 countries that participated in both the 2019 and 2023 secondary school Timss cycles, the average achievement decreased by nine points, from 491 in 2019 to 482 in 2023. Only three countries showed significant increases (United Arab Emirates, Romania and Sweden). There were no significant changes in 16 countries (including South Africa). There were significant decreases in 14 countries.

Based on these numbers, it would seem, on the face of it at least, that South Africa weathered the Covid-19 losses better than half the other countries. However, the primary school result patterns were different. For South African children, there was a significant drop in mathematics achievement by 12 points, from 374 in 2019 to 362 in 2023. As expected, the highest decreases were in the poorer, no-fee schools.

Of the 51 countries that participated in both Timss 2019 and 2023, the average mathematics achievement score over the two cycles was similar. There were no significant achievement changes in 22 countries, a significant increase in 15 countries, and a significant decrease in 14 countries (including South Africa). So, it seems that South African primary school pupils suffered adverse learning effects over the two cycles.

The increase in achievement in secondary school and decrease in primary school was unexpected. The reasons for the results may be that secondary school pupils experienced more school support compared with those in primary schools, or were more mature and resilient, enabling them to recover from the learning losses experienced during Covid-19.

Pupils in primary schools, especially poorer schools, may have been more affected by the loss of school contact time and had less support to fully recover during this time. This pattern may also be due to poor reading and language skills as well as a lack of familiarity with this type of test.

Does gender make a difference?

There is an extant literature indicating that globally boys are more likely to outperform girls in maths performance. But in South African primary schools, girls outscore boys in both mathematics and reading. Girls significantly outscored boys by an average of 29 points for mathematics (Timss) and by 49 points for reading in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Study.

These patterns need further exploration. Of the 58 countries participating in Timss at primary schools, boys significantly outscored girls in 40 countries, and there were no achievement differences in 17 countries. South Africa was the only country where the girls significantly outscored boys.

In Kenya, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, the Southern and Eastern Africa Consortium for Monitoring Educational Quality reading scores are similar for girls and boys, but the boys outscore girls in mathematics. In Botswana, girls outscore boys in reading and mathematics, but the gender difference is much smaller.

In secondary schools, girls continue to outscore boys, but the gap drops to eight points. Of the 42 Timss countries, boys significantly outscored girls in maths in 21 countries; there were no significant differences in 17 countries; and girls significantly outscored boys in only four countries (South Africa, Palestine, Oman and Bahrain).

In summary, the South African primary school achievement trend relative to secondary school is unexpected and requires further investigation. It seems that as South African pupils get older, they acquire better skills in how to learn, read and take tests to achieve better results. Results from lower grades should be used cautiously to predict subsequent educational outcomes.

Unusually, in primary schools, there is a big gender difference for mathematics achievement favouring girls. The gender difference persists to Grade 9, but the extent of the difference decreases. As pupils, especially boys, progress through their education system, they seem to make up their learning shortcomings and catch up.

The national mathematics picture would look much better if boys and girls performed at the same level from primary school, suggesting the importance of interventions in primary schools, especially focusing on boys. DM

First published by The Conversation.

Vijay Reddy is a distinguished research specialist at the Human Sciences Research Council.

This story first appeared in our weekly Daily Maverick 168 newspaper, which is available countrywide for R35.

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How did pupils perform?

Does gender make a difference?