A major academic intervention by MUT is set to significantly improve both the pass rate and the quality of Mathematics education across 40 high schools in Umlazi Township’s Phumelela circuit. The initiative, spearheaded by Dr Nondumiso Rasenyalo, a Lecturer in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, is the direct result of a strategic collaborative meeting between university academics and local education circuit officials. Dr Rasenyalo was joined by her departmental colleagues, Professor Alfred Msomi, Dean of the Faculty of Applied and Health Sciences, and fellow lecturers Franklin Shozi and Dr Sibusiso Mabaso.
The six-month project is scheduled to launch in July 2026 and run until January 31, 2027, with a follow-up meeting scheduled for next week to finalise the operational details. According to the rollout plan, the intervention will focus strictly on educators handling the FET phase, which spans Grades 10 through 12. Rather than a generalised overview, the University team will conduct targeted workshops with teachers focusing on four notoriously challenging areas of the curriculum – Probability, Functions, Trigonometry, and Euclidean Geometry
Dr Rasenyalo, who successfully secured the funding required to greenlight the project, explained that her inspiration for the initiative stemmed from her own advanced research. “My academic journey and research experiences have fundamentally transformed the way I view Mathematics and its role in society,” Dr Rasenyalo explained. “As a researcher working on the optimal control of tumour development and treatment using combined therapies, I have witnessed firsthand how mathematical modelling can be applied to address complex real-world challenges. Through this research, I have come to appreciate that mathematics is not merely an abstract discipline, but a powerful tool for solving problems that affect human lives.”
Professor Alfred Msomi strongly backed the initiative, emphasising that Mathematics is a vital gateway subject that underpins science, technology, engineering, and commerce. “At the school level, it functions as a critical gateway subject, enabling learners to access careers in key sectors such as engineering, data science, finance, and healthcare,” Professor Msomi noted. “The quality of mathematics instruction at this stage therefore has a direct impact on learners’ future academic and professional opportunities.”
However, Professor Msomi warned that systemic bottlenecks continue to hold back local learners. He highlighted insufficient teacher preparation, a lack of innovative teaching methodologies, and consistently low learner performance as the primary obstacles preventing students from developing essential analytical and problem-solving skills.
By driving this partnership, the university aims to provide intentional, ongoing professional development. The program is designed to equip Phumelela educators with both the robust content knowledge and the practical pedagogical strategies needed to transform Mathematics classrooms across the township.