Free Maths support is helping South African learners strengthen confidence before year-end exams while widening access to skills that can shape future study and career choices.
For learners struggling with Mathematics, the consequences can extend far beyond a disappointing examination result.
Subject choices, tertiary study opportunities and access to careers in science, technology, engineering, finance and other numerically driven fields can all be affected when learners fall behind.
With year-end examinations approaching, Advantage Learn is using its Quest For Your Best initiative to give Grade 8 to 12 learners free access to additional Mathematics support during September and October.
James Lees, CEO of Advantage Learn, said improving Mathematics outcomes requires addressing not only what learners are taught, but whether they can access additional support when they need it.
“A learner’s access to Maths support can be shaped by a learner’s circumstances, from the cost of additional resources to data and reliable connectivity,” Lees said.
“Finding ways to reduce those barriers, particularly at critical points in the school year, can give more learners the opportunity to get the support they need.”
From 1 September to 31 October, learners can download the Advantage Learn app at no cost and access Mathematics lessons, quizzes and assignments designed to support revision and independent learning.
The platform has also been developed to support offline learning, helping reduce dependence on continuous internet connectivity.
Advantage Learn says previous participants in the initiative have recorded improvements of between 15% and 20% in their Mathematics examination results.
This year, learners also stand a chance to win prizes, including two R10,000 cash awards sponsored by PPS Insurance.
For Lees, however, the value of digital learning is not simply providing learners with more content.
“Our technology gives learners another route into understanding, rather than simply putting more content in front of them,” he said.
“Being able to stop, revisit a concept, practise it, and try again can change how a learner feels about their own ability and, in turn, this confidence can translate into better marks.”
The initiative comes against a broader challenge facing Mathematics education in South Africa.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube reported in 2025 that only 34% of National Senior Certificate candidates wrote Mathematics, with the majority opting for Mathematical Literacy.
Department of Basic Education figures also indicated that 464 public schools nationally did not offer Mathematics as a subject in 2025.
Those numbers matter because Mathematics remains an important gateway subject for many tertiary qualifications and future careers.
For learners, struggling with the subject can therefore narrow options long before they begin applying to universities, colleges or employers.
The skills challenge is also becoming more significant as technology changes the nature of work.
A 2025 SAP study of African enterprises found that 90% of participating companies were already experiencing negative business effects linked to shortages in artificial intelligence skills, including delayed projects, failed innovation and an inability to take on new work.
Building the future pipeline required for those industries starts years earlier, when learners are still developing confidence in Mathematics, Science and problem-solving at school.
For learners who have previously participated in Quest For Your Best, additional practice has provided a way to approach difficult concepts differently.
Afia Marcus said the resources helped her with revision and developing an effective “exam mindset”, while Londani Magwede said the explanations made difficult Mathematics concepts easier to understand.
Lidya Gebru encouraged other learners to aim high after achieving an A+ in her examinations.
Advantage Learn’s broader work focuses on reducing gaps in access to Mathematics and Science education while helping strengthen South Africa’s future STEM skills pipeline.
In 2026, the organisation became the Education and Technology Partner for the Engen Maths and Science Schools programme.
The programme has supported Grade 10 to 12 learners in Mathematics and Physical Sciences since 1987 and remains one of Engen’s flagship corporate social investment initiatives.
Advantage Learn was also selected for the 2026 Injini Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship, which supports education technology designed to improve access for marginalised learners, including young people in rural communities.
These partnerships reflect an increasing recognition that strengthening Mathematics performance requires more than interventions immediately before examinations.
Learners need sustained access to quality teaching, appropriate technology, additional practice and opportunities to rebuild confidence when they begin falling behind.
The immediate focus of Quest For Your Best is nevertheless the examination period now facing learners.
“For learners, the immediate priority is making use of quality Maths support, regardless of their connectivity or circumstances, so that they make the most of the weeks before their final exams,” Lees said.
For South Africa, the longer-term opportunity extends beyond improving individual examination results.
Giving more learners the confidence and support to continue with Mathematics can preserve choices that might otherwise disappear and strengthen the pool of young people able to enter the industries, professions and emerging technologies shaping the country’s future workforce.
