South African students have finished last in the world in mathematics and science, according to the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study (TIMSS)
The results are especially sobering because South Africa entered older students—grade 5 learners for the fourth-grade assessment and grade 9 learners for the eighth-grade assessment—to match international standards. Despite this adjustment, South African students still fell significantly behind.
TIMSS, the most extensive global study on education trends, assessed learners in 59 countries. South Africa’s average scores of 362 in mathematics and 308 in science were the lowest of all participants. The international averages were 503 for mathematics and 494 for science.
Singapore led both categories, scoring 615 in mathematics and 607 in science. South Africa’s averages of 362 in mathematics and 308 in science were the lowest among the 59 participating countries.
Dr Reginah Mhaule, Deputy Minister of Basic Education, expressed deep concern over the results during a press briefing.
“The TIMSS results are disappointing, but they reflect the realities of our education system. While there are pockets of progress, the overall outcomes show that foundational literacy and numeracy are areas where we must urgently focus our efforts.”
Dr Mhaule highlighted that the government has already initiated interventions to address the deficiencies.
“We have been rolling out structured lesson plans, early-grade reading programmes, and teacher training. These are long-term strategies that we believe will yield results over time.”
Mark Chetty, the Department of Basic Education’s Director for National Assessments, elaborated on the significance of the study.
“TIMSS is a diagnostic tool that allows us to see where we stand globally, but more importantly, it helps us identify gaps and areas that need intervention,” he said.
TIMSS 2023 Full Rankings
Mathematics (Grade 4 Equivalent)
Singapore – 615
Chinese Taipei – 607
Korea, Republic of – 594
Hong Kong SAR – 594
Japan – 591
Macao SAR – 582
Lithuania – 561
Türkiye – 553
England – 552
Poland – 546
Ireland – 546
Romania – 542
Netherlands – 537
Latvia – 534
Norway – 531
Czech Republic – 530
Sweden – 530
Bulgaria – 530
Finland – 529
Australia – 525
Germany – 524
Denmark – 524
Serbia – 523
Belgium (Flemish) – 521
Hungary – 520
Portugal – 517
United States – 517
Cyprus – 516
Slovak Republic – 515
Slovenia – 514
Italy – 513
Armenia – 513
Albania – 512
Canada – 504
Spain – 498
United Arab Emirates – 498
Georgia – 498
Azerbaijan – 494
New Zealand – 490
Belgium (French) – 489
Kazakhstan – 487
France – 484
Montenegro – 477
North Macedonia – 474
Qatar – 464
Bahrain – 462
Kosovo – 451
Bosnia & Herzegovina – 447
Chile – 444
Uzbekistan – 443
Jordan – 427
Oman – 421
Iran, Islamic Republic of – 420
Saudi Arabia – 420
Brazil – 400
Morocco – 393
Kuwait – 382
South Africa – 362
Science (Grade 4 Equivalent)
Singapore – 607
Korea, Republic of – 583
Chinese Taipei – 573
Türkiye – 570
England – 556
Japan – 555
Poland – 550
Australia – 550
Hong Kong SAR – 545
Finland – 542
Lithuania – 537
Macao SAR – 536
Sweden – 533
United States – 532
Ireland – 532
Norway – 530
Bulgaria – 530
Romania – 526
Czech Republic – 526
Slovenia – 526
Latvia – 526
Hungary – 524
Denmark – 522
Canada – 521
Slovak Republic – 521
New Zealand – 517
Netherlands – 517
Germany – 515
Portugal – 511
Italy – 511
Serbia – 510
Spain – 504
United Arab Emirates – 495
Albania – 491
Belgium (Flemish) – 488
France – 488
Cyprus – 487
Belgium (French) – 481
Chile – 479
Bahrain – 475
Qatar – 472
Kazakhstan – 467
Georgia – 465
Montenegro – 461
Armenia – 457
Bosnia & Herzegovina – 448
North Macedonia – 439
Oman – 433
Iran, Islamic Republic of – 432
Saudi Arabia – 428
Brazil – 425
Azerbaijan – 422
Jordan – 418
Uzbekistan – 412
Kosovo – 403
Morocco – 390
Kuwait – 373
South Africa – 308
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