The National Research Foundation is the South African IMU Adhering Organization. It designates in coordination with its mathematics committee the ICMI Country representative.
South Africa is a diverse country with 9 provinces and 11 official languages. . In the foundation phases (grade R – 3), Mathematics instruction occurs in the pupils’ mother-tongues or English. From grade 4 onwards, the medium of instruction is either English or Afrikaans. However, teachers are encouraged to use both English and mother-tongue instruction until grade 7, through an initiative promoted by the Department of Basic Education, called Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE).
The Association for Mathematics Education in South Africa (AMESA) is the voice of Mathematics Education in South Africa. Its membership comprises teachers, academics, government officials such as Mathematics Subject Advisors, publishers and others involved in mathematics teaching and learning. Since its formation in 1993, AMESA has held national congresses in all 9 provinces in South Africa, with a total of 30 completed congresses as at December 2025. There was no national congress in 1995 as AMESA participated with Physical Sciences and Biology teachers in a joint conference under the banner of the Federation of Mathematics, Physical Sciences and Biology teachers of South Africa.
The South African Mathematics Society (SAMS) is focussed on the advancement of Mathematics in South Africa as its main objective. It is a national association of mathematicians, which is conscious of South Africa’s African and International context as it seeks to promote the discipline in all its facets.
South African Mathematics Foundation (SAMF) is a non-profit company established in 2004 by AMESA and SAMS to play a leading role in expanding the base of mathematics excellence in South Africa by contributing towards professional development of mathematics educators, promoting the advancement of mathematics through creating awareness and nurturing of mathematically talented youth towards an innovative landscape in South Africa for science, business, finance and engineering.
The SAMF board of directors includes AMESA and SAMS representatives, representatives from appropriate government departments and independent members. It also includes observers from other learned societies, industry and other government departments.
Southern African Association for Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology (SAARMSTE)
There is no specific body that caters only for Mathematics Education Research in South Africa. Rather, Mathematics Education research is one of the pillars of SAARMSTE. SAARMSTE was founded in 1992. It aims to advance research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education. Thus, far there have been 33 SAARMSTE conferences in Southern Africa, with most taking place in South Africa, and every third one or so taking place in another Southern African Country.
SAARMSTE publishes its conference proceedings once a year, in time for its Annual Conference which takes place in January of each year. It also publishes a journal called African Journal of Research in Mathematics, Science and Technology Education (AJRMSTE) https://www.tandfonline.com/journals/rmse20. There are usually three editions per year, published in April, August and November. Occasionally there are special editions of AJRMSTE. This depends on the needs and research interests at the time. For example, the last special edition was in 2024.
AMESA's publications https://www.amesa.org.za/ include:
• AMESA News
• Pythagoras: An internationally accredited Mathematics Education journal
• Learning and teaching Mathematics: Geared towards mathematics teachers and covers classroom practice with a combination of both content and methodology.
AMESA also publishes its Congress proceedings in two volumes, with plenary and long papers part of volume 1 and short papers, workshops and “How I teach” volume2.
SAMS publishes the following annually:
• Quaestiones Mathematicae (in association with the National Inquiry Services: NISC)
• The Notices of the South African Mathematical Sciences
There are two main pathways to become a Mathematics teacher in South Africa. In initial teacher education, prospective mathematics teachers may do a four-year Bachelor of Education degree; or a three-year-degree in Sciences or Arts, with mathematics modules at second and/or third year levels, followed by a one-year post-graduate certificate in Education.
Initial Teacher Education, for Mathematics and other subjects. involves the training of teachers according to phases which are tied to age groups. These usually occur as follows:
• Foundation Phase: Grades R – 3 (ages 5-9).
• Intermediate Phase: Grades 4 – 6 (ages 10-12).
• Senior Phase: Grades 7 – 9 (ages 13-15).
• FET Phase: Grades 10 – 12 (ages 16-18).
Some institutions allow for combinations of phase specializations. For example, combining Senior Phase and the FET Phase. Currently, 23 public higher education institutions (HEIs) offer recognised teacher education qualifications. There are also at least 3 private higher education institutions (HEIs) that also offer teacher education qualifications in South Africa. South Africa used to have more than 100 Teacher Training Colleges. However, over a period of 3 years, from 1998 till 2000, all these colleges were closed down. Since then, teacher education and training has become a higher education (university) competence.
Currently, mathematics teachers in service may opt to do post-graduate studies in Mathematics or Mathematics Education in one of the South African universities. These qualifications are offered at Honours, Masters and Doctorate levels.
The teaching, learning and assessment of Mathematics and other subjects in South Africa are guided by the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement, commonly known as CAPS. All these documents are located in the website of the National Education Department called the Department of Basic Education (DBE). General information, including news, resources, programmes, curriculum matters and other related information be accessed at https://www.education.gov.za. This website has links to curriculum documents and assessment policy, as well as past year national examination papers.
These documents can also be accessed using this link.
Support materials for teachers and learners in mathematics and other subjects can be accessed using this link