Page 12 - Education Supplement February 2025

MATHS OR MATHS LIT?

Making the Right Choice for Your Child

By Nicola Killops

hoosing subjects at the end of
Grade 9 can feel like standing
Cat a crossroads with no clear
signposts. Parents want to make the
right decision, schools have their
expectations, and students often
feel caught in the middle. And when
it comes to maths, the pressure can
be overwhelming. But does every
student really need to take pure
maths?

There’s a long-standing belief that
pure maths is the golden ticket to
success, but that’s not always true.
Professor Zak Nel, a well-respected
counselling psychologist, offers
some sound advice — if your child’s
combined Grade 9 English and maths
marks don’t add up to at least 120,
it might be time to consider Maths
Literacy instead. And no, it’s not a
cop-out; it’s a smart move for many
students.

Maths Literacy: A Smarter,
Not Softer, Option
Sylvia Eppel, a maths and science
tutor, has seen it all — students
staring blankly at their textbooks,
parents wringing their hands, and the
sheer frustration of battling numbers
daily. “So many kids push through
pure maths because they think
they have to, and it ends up being a
constant source of stress,” she says.
“A B in Maths Lit will open more doors
than an F in Maths. Simple.”

Maths Literacy is often
misunderstood. It’s not a shortcut;
it’s practical maths for real life. Think
budgeting, understanding interest
rates, and problem-solving — skills
that matter in everyday situations.
For careers in business, marketing,
or the arts, these are the maths skills
that actually get used.

Education | February 2025 | 10