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mathematical sciences 2
M A T H E M A T I C A L S C I E N C E S
Table 2.2: Total enrolments
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in mathematical sciences courses
Year African Coloured Indian White Unknown Total
2002 9 416 943 1 171 6 060 652 18 242
2003 11 160 1 048 1 938 6 341 42 20 529
2004 12 016 1 140 2 134 6 569 54 21 913
2005 11 809 1 153 2 103 6 422 44 21 531
2006 11 855 1 107 1 971 6 154 60 21 147
Source: Higher Education Management Information System (HEMIS).
tifying the academic teaching workload in the band 62% to 64%, with no significant
carried by mathematicians in South African change in the past five years. Female stu-
universities. dents, although statistically under-repre-
sented, consistently outperform their male
African students are by now substantially counterparts in terms of throughput rates.
in the majority across the higher education The ratio of male to female students in the
sector in South Africa in both the math- mathematical sciences has moved slightly
ematical sciences enrolments and total stu- from 1.472 in 2002 to 1.443 in 2006, so the
dent enrolments in all disciplinary catego- gap is not narrowing in a significant way.
ries. In the case of total student enrolments
across all disciplines, the ratio of African to Two comments are relevant here. First, the
white enrolments has changed from 2.03 in degree success rate in mathematics is the
2002 to 2.24 in 2006; in the mathematical lowest of all the disciplinary categories
sciences, the ratio of African to white enrol- across the entire higher education sector
ments has changed from 1.55 in 2002 to and there is no sign of progressive improve-
1.93 in 2006. ment. On the other hand, enrolments in the
mathematical sciences have risen sharply
The legacy of the apartheid education sys- in the past five years so that, although the
tem, as well as socio-economic and edu- percentage degree success rate remains es-
cational-preparedness factors for students sentially unchanged, the numbers of math-
in the different racial categories, manifests ematically skilled graduates produced by
itself in a degree success rate of 58% for the South African higher education sector
black African students compared with a has increased over the past five years by ap-
72% degree success rate for white students. proximately 17%. Second, the success rate
The overall percentage of degree success for African students has risen slightly from
rates in the mathematical sciences hovers 55% in 2002 to 58% in 2006, despite the
4
Enrolments are expressed as a function of race for mathematical sciences as the influence of apartheid is probably most strongly
expressed in this disciplinary field.
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TWAS book_Chap1-6.indd 71 2009/10/06 12:03:47 PM
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