March 14 was celebrated live and online around the world as the International Day of Mathematics. This was the first time this happened and followed a decision by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco), taken at its fortieth general conference, on November 26, to mark this day each year.

March 14 is already known in mathematics circles as Pi (π) Day, as the numbers in the date – 3/14 – match the first three digits of the mathematical constant π. In declaring March 14 International Day of Mathematics, Unesco appears to have been motivated by a desire to raise the profile of the discipline, even among those who believe that number crunching is not for them. This is evident in the theme of this year’s celebration, ‘Mathematics is everywhere’. The day is also meant to showcase the fundamental role mathematical sciences play in the achievement of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals and in reinforcing two of Unesco’s priorities: the African continent and gender equality.

I’m dismayed that, in South Africa, International Day of Mathematics seems to have passed quietly this year. There was no mention at all in the media, at least in those media outlets that comprise my reading and viewing staple – and I’m quite an eclectic news consumer.

For me, this is worrying, given our high school learners’ poor performance in mathematics and science subjects. While the overall matric pass rate in 2019 – at 81.3% – represented an improvement on the previous year, there was a decline in mathematics, which, along with science and other subjects, is considered critical for South Africa’s economic growth and development. The decline in mathematics at matric level manifested itself in two ways last year: the number of candidates taking the subject dropped from 270 516 in 2018 to 222 034, while the percentage of those who passed slid from 58% in 2018 to 54%.

Since the minimum score for a pass in mathematics is 30%, only 54% of the candidates who took the mathematics exam last year achieved 30% or higher. Only 2% of the candidates achieved a distinction – a mark of 80% to 100% – representing a 2.5% decline on the 2018 tally.

As Suellen Shay, a professor at the University of Cape Town, correctly pointed out in an op-ed piece, the lacklustre mathematics performance at high school level is a cause for great concern. For one thing, a low mathematics score slams shut the door to university programmes in medicine, science, engineering and some in commerce – all areas in which this country faces a huge skills deficit. South Africa needs highly skilled graduates in these areas to thrive – nay get by – in the burgeoning Fourth Industrial Revolution.

Secondly, given that the number of kids passing mathematics is declining and that, according to Shay, the top 200 high schools in South Africa – which charge top dollar – account for 97% of mathematics distinctions, inequality in South African society is bound to endure, if not worsen.

If it were up to me, the current obsession with introducing Swahili would stop, and the resources meant for this purpose would be used to improve South African learners’ competence in mathematics and other key school subjects. I know it feels good to be seen to be a champion of pan Africanism – which seems to be the motive behind this venture – but this should not be one of our priorities at this stage.

What I also think is a misplaced priority is the plan to make history compulsory from Grade 10 to Grade 12 from 2023. This was recommended by a Ministerial task team set up in 2015 to conduct a comparative international study on how best to introduce history as a compulsory subject in further education and training schools.

I share the view of those who feel that forcing learners to take history up to Grade 12 would curtail learner choices. Another criticism is that history might be abused as a propaganda tool, which has been the case in some countries; North Korea is an example.