Olico Maths Program
The focus of the Olico maths program is to improve South African school learners’basic grasp of numeracy - giving learners a solid foundation on which they can build upon in their future academic and work life.
The program uses skilled young tutors - the majority education students in maths and science from nearby Rhodes University Faculty of Education - to implement the program twice a week in 90 minutes sessions after school. The tutors try to create an atmosphere where the impression of maths as grey and boring is replaced by one where it is seen as a fun challenge for the brain which most kids can master.
To help them in this they also make use of an interactive online platform where learners can get instant feedback while they do mathematical exercises on a computer or tablet. Innovative technology and good old-fashioned human touch and engagement with learners is therefore combined into a entertaining session where everyone work together to crack those interesting maths challenges.
Awarenet has implemented the Olico maths program in Makhanda on behalf of the Olico organisation in Johannesburg since 2022. The central Olico organisation is also giving the Awarenet maths tutors training in how to implement the program with the latest educational knowledge. As of 2025, more than 200 learners in grade 7 and 8 from eight different schools in Makhanda benefit from the program which runs after school twice a week.
In the 2023 Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study, South African grade 4 learners scored the lowest among 56 countries for grade 4 in mathematics. Through implementing this program locally in one of South Africa’s poorest provinces, we hope to make a small contribution in improving numeracy and mathematical skills in the country.
We believe that if we give learners the tools to understand the world of mathematics, this will not only be of individual benefit to the learners but ultimately also bestow society at large with future decision makers who can make informed numerical decisions.
