We make maths make sense
from Grade R to Grade 12
Key Features:
Local
Rooted in township and rural communities responding directly to the needs of learners and teachers.
Long-term
Building deep, lasting and sustainable impact across all grades and committed to communities for the long haul.
Led-by-evidence
Designing tried-and-tested programmes in collaboration with teachers, government and NGO-partners.
Our research and design programming offers
lessons for developing systemic solutions to the
wider maths challenge.
Developing foundational
numeracy skills
and number sense.
OLICO’s after-school Maths Clubs are playful, interactive sessions designed to help learners in Grades R–6 build strong foundations and a positive relationship with maths. These clubs are run by teachers, youth facilitators and/or participants on youth employment schemes.
The Maths Clubs model is designed to scale. All games, activities, and weekly lesson plans are freely available for parents, teachers, and NGOs to download and start a Maths Club in their own communities.
The result? Every week, more than 1 600 Maths Clubs take place across the country. Maths Clubs help young children build foundational numeracy skills and create an orientation towards maths that unlocks long-term success.
Primary School Snapshot
Target Group: Primary School learners (Foundation Phase and Intermediate Phase)
Delivery model: 1 facilitator to 10-15 learners
Content: Scripted lessons with fun maths games, activities and worksheets to develop number sense and number fluency.
Frequency: 1 hour after-school, twice a week.
Direct Reach: 4 400 learners enrolled in OLICO Maths Clubs in Alex, Diepsloot (Gauteng) and Mogoto (Limpopo).
Partners Reach: 22 000 learners enrolled in partner Maths Clubs in Western Cape, Gauteng, Eastern Cape, Limpopo, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State.
Must-know: The Maths Clubs curriculum is built on the initial work of the SA Numeracy Chair Project at Rhodes University. All the materials are open-source and free to use.
Blending tutoring and
technology for high school
maths success.
The majority of SA learners enter high school 3-4 years behind where they should be mathematically. In addition, most learners need an entire re-orientation towards the subject. In most cases, Grade 8 and 9 is the last opportunity for learners to overcome their maths backlogs and develop the skills necessary for success in high school maths.
The result? The vast majorizty of OLICO learners matriculate in theTop 25% of matric maths performers annually.
High School Snapshot
Target Group: High School learners(Senior Phase and FET Phase)
Delivery model: In-person tutoring with skilled tutors and a purpose-built digital learning platform (zero-rated and #datafree).
Content: A key concept pathway with 50,000+ interactive questions, step-by-step tutorial videos, number fluency apps, challenges and diagnostic tools.
Frequency: 1.5 hours after-school,twice a week.
Direct Reach: 2 300 learners enrolled in OLICO-run sessions in schools in Alex, Diepsloot, Soweto (Gauteng); Rosendaal, Dunoon, Brooklyn, Modderdam (Western Cape); and Mogoto (rural Limpopo
Partners Reach: 600 learners enrolled in partner programmes in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern CapeKwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State.
Must-know: OLICO’s “connect-to-accelerate” approach is proven to build foundational understanding in key concepts by making connections into grade-level work.
A maths tutor in the pocket
of every learner - for free.
When learners need help with their maths, we’re just a message away. OLICO’s WhatsApp Maths Hotline gives learners direct access to tutors, automated lessons, tutorial videos and worksheets. We’re also using the latest advancements in AI technology to support learning – all on a basic smartphone, and all for free.
The Maths Hotline was initially built in response to the pandemic but has since become a vital tool for maths tutoring at scale.
The result? More than 50 000 learners have messaged the Maths Hotline for help since we started.
Maths Hotline Snapshot
High School learners, Grades 7–11
Delivery model: Learners send a WhatsApp message to 0600 39 00 00. The hotline is 100% free and only uses WhatsApp data.
Content: Automated lesson pathways, maths worksheets and tutorial videos. Learners have the option to speak to an AI or human tutor.
Frequency: The hotline runs 7 days a week. The AI tutor is available 24 hours a day.
Our Reach: Users from every province are using the Math Hotline.
Must-know: A formal research project concluded that “regular users demonstrated significantly greater improvements in mathematics.
Testing scalable
education solutions.
From early-stage numeracy pilots to new approaches in blended learning in South Africa, our pilots are designed to test and learn. The focus is always on cost-effective, high-impact strategies for township maths support that can scale.
Our featured pilot: The WhatsApp Maths Hotline, offering free maths tutoring via mobile in a country where access remains unequal.
