Between 2023 and 2024, the number of South African matric students who enrolled for Maths and Physical Science dropped by 4% and 2,75%, respectively.
On the surface, this may seem like a normal fluctuation in subject choices, but it signals a deeper issue, writes Kristi Rossouw, acting-principal of Floreat Primary School.
Learning Gaps Lead to Lost Futures
This trend reflects how Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) subjects are taught and experienced in our schools. Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube recently stressed the urgent need to strengthen foundational competencies so learners can pursue and succeed in Maths and Science throughout their schooling.
In her foreword to the 2024 National Senior Certificate (NSC) Report, she warned that early learning gaps tend to compound over time, making it harder for learners to catch up in higher grades, diminishing their prospects of accessing further education and employment. The long-term impact is evident in the 10,3-million South Africans aged 15–24 who are not in education, employment, or training, representing a significant share of the country’s youth left behind.
STEM Decline Demands a Rethink
If we want to rebuild the country’s talent pipeline, we need to shift the way learners encounter STEM in the classroom. It cannot remain a siloed, textbook-driven experience. Instead, we should create a STEM environment that encourages teamwork, exploration and curiosity while also introducing scientific thinking, process skills and ethics. That’s what a human-centred Design Thinking approach has helped us unlock.
I first encountered Design Thinking as Head of Science at Floreat Primary, a no-fee government school. The school’s decision to repurpose two classrooms into a science lab galvanised a culture of science, albeit on a shoestring. While introducing hands-on learning, I quickly saw how the content-heavy curriculum led to disengagement, even among our most eager learners.
The Design Thinking in STEM programme offered by the Hasso Plattner d-school Afrika at the University of Cape Town and developed with Siemens Stiftung offered what traditional training had not: a structured, practical, values-driven approach to making lessons more relevant and inclusive.
Design Thinking encourages learners to ask questions, tackle real-world problems, and test their own solutions. It provides structure without rigidity, while focusing group efforts around clear goals, prototyping processes, and reflection. Even in large or under-resourced classes, it has the potential to create space for students to feel seen, heard, and capable of contributing meaningfully.
From Thinking to Action
Design Thinking activities have boosted more than academics. Learners now confidently ask questions, collaborate beyond their usual peers, and show greater ability to thoughtfully tackle real-world problems with possible solutions that lie within their own sphere of influence.
Design Thinking has also impacted the school’s approach to time, space, and staff capacity to support hands-on STEM learning. For example, we expanded the Design, Coding and Robotics (DCR) class, originally piloted with Grade 6 learners, to include Grades 3 to 7. To keep class sizes manageable, each group is split into two, alternating between DCR and Library classes. Though this required compromise, it has boosted learner engagement by enabling more focused, active learning.
Additionally, the Design Thinking in STEM programme sparked a grassroots community of practice among educators from various schools. Since 2024, trained teachers have met quarterly to share insights and support one another in implementing this methodology. This year, we aim to grow this network by involving more colleagues, recognising that authentic, lasting change comes through ongoing peer-led collaboration and experimentation rather than top-down directives.
Small Shifts, Big Impact
It is perfectly understandable for teachers to feel a sense of hopelessness in the South African education context, where material resources are not just limited, but often non-existent. Add overcrowded classrooms and the weight of untreated trauma many learners carry, and you see how hard it is both to teach and to learn.
So, how can under-funded schools nurture STEM education? It starts with mindset and a bit of time. First, school management must identify staff open to new ideas. Then, carve out even an hour or two a week for planning and experimentation. Finally, connect these individuals with a supportive Design Thinking network beyond the school. That’s how the impossible becomes not just possible, but probable.
According to UNESCO, to meet the anticipated demand for skilled professionals in engineering, healthcare, IT, and other vital sectors, Africa needs 23 million STEM graduates by 2030, highlighting the urgent need for targeted interventions to enhance STEM education in South Africa.
If we want young people to step into these fields, we need to make them feel welcome and capable in the first place. Design Thinking helps us do that. It enables learners to see themselves not just as students, but as problem-solvers and future innovators.
The tools are already in our hands. What we need now is the collective will to reimagine the system, and the courage to start where we are.