What We Do

JumpStart actively engages in ongoing collaboration with mathematic experts, tertiary training institutions, and peer NGOs. This enables us to implement effective pedagogical practices and materials adapted for South African classrooms.

With large classes limiting teachers’ ability to provide individual attention to learners, JumpStart sources talented unemployed Youth from the local school communities to fill this gap. This is supported through national youth employment programmes such as Yes4Youth where JumpStart is one of the five implementing partners supporting education.

JumpStart works alongside local mathematics experts to provide the best materials for use in our classes. To date, we have had remarkable success using the learner-centred NumberSense series of workbooks available in South Africa’s 11 official languages. We are also contributing to broader national department-led dialogue considering possible alternatives to existing government workbooks.

A core part of JumpStart’s work is teaching teachers how to teach foundation phase mathematics. Over recent years, this gap in tertiary education, has received urgent attention from our leading universities. JumpStart is now taking the best of what universities developed for pre-service teachers to our in-service teachers.

Access to data and smart devices is steadily improving in under-resourced schools and communities. At JumpStart we pilot digital games and workbooks in schools and communities to enable interactive and adaptive learning that gives immediate feedback to learners in a way that paper interventions cannot do.

Using mobile applications, JumpStart programmes track all learner activities daily. This data is fed back to educators and programme managers to monitor and enhance delivery.