Guest: Alexanda Trinder – Smith: Executive Director: Siyavula Foundation

This month, Siyavula Foundation kickstarted the HeadSTARt campaign which encourages the learners to start their year off strong by setting goals related to what they would like to achieve in Maths and Science for the year. The campaign ends on Tuesday 14 March (International Maths Day).

 

 

Siyavula supports learners across the country by providing free and open online Maths and Science textbooks, as well as a complementary practice service (also free) to promote learning in these subjects. Learners can access both the textbooks and the platform from any internet-enabled mobile device at no cost - our site is zero-rated on most of the major telecom networks, so it doesn't cost them anything in data. In addition, teachers can also access the platform with a basic 'freemium' account to monitor learner progress and gain insights as to specific areas in which each learner may need guidance and targeted assistance.

 

Key stats for 2022

 

• 1,6 million South African high school students using the Siyavula platform every year 
• More than 50% of all FET Maths and Science students in South Africa use Siyavula in their studies.
• 350,000 new learners register to use the adaptive practice software
• 33 million questions delivered and marked for students.
• 30,000+ registered teachers on Siyavula with 8,000 active users 
• 7,000 schools with active learners and teachers using Siyavula.

Other facts

• Siyavula is free for learners and is zero rated on MTN, Vodacom, Telkom.
• Siyavula has an established relationship with DBE, GDE, WCED and other provinces to promote the adoption and use of Siyavula which is tracked and reported to stakeholders on a monthly basis. 
• Siyavula has a curriculum aligned offering for Nigeria and Rwanda and expanding alignment to new African curricula.
• Siyavula annually hosts #1MillionMaths (see video), the largest online Maths and Science competition in SA.
• Siyavula issues an online mastery certificate and portfolio of work done on Siyavula which students can download or share. This certificate is the link between school and youth employment or career services.
• The My Future section of Siyavula channels students from Siyavula to career opportunity providers along with their certificate.