Mega Maths Festival
“Mathematics: our 13th national language”
7-11 July 2025, University of the Western Cape, Belville, Cape Town
Strengthening teaching, learning and research across the South African ecosystem
Schools – Higher Education – Industry
The Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET), in partnership with the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences (AIMS South Africa) and the University of the Western Cape, will host the first-of-its-kind International Mathematics in Education Conference – Mega Maths Festival in South Africa.
We invite you to a week-long national festival. The festival aims to strengthen the teaching, learning and research of Mathematics across South Africa under the theme - Mathematics: our 13th National Language.
The festival will bring together diverse stakeholders involved in mathematics across South Africa, including policymakers, academics, researchers, NGOs working in mathematics education, corporate entities, rural school mathematics teachers, high school students, university students and international partners.
A five-day festival at the University of the Western Cape
The festival will take place over five days at UWC. It will facilitate maximum interaction between attendees across disciplines. These will include:
500+ Attendees
10+ Workshops & Panel discussions
10+ Keynote talks that will bring everyone together
80+ Poster Presentations
Parallel sessions organised by different stakeholders
Cultural events
Along with the festival, the AIMS School Enrichment Centre will conduct a teacher training programme (6-16 July 2025) that will empower 160 teachers from disadvantaged rural and township communities in South Africa.
The festival programme will include sessions across four thematic tracks:
DAY 1. Continuity across mathematics settings
South Africa’s educational landscape presents an opportunity for greater cohesion between the school system and the transition into higher education. By embracing education as a continuum, we turn attention to best practices and also give voice to those who might otherwise go unheard.
DAY 2. Innovative pedagogies for diverse learners & students
The introduction of AI and education technologies offers new opportunities for innovation. What becomes possible when we tap into the potential of learners and students? How do we embrace evolving meanings of diversity and new pedagogies?
DAY 3. Navigating higher education spaces (students and academics)
In order to navigate higher education spaces , we require an understanding of what it means to embody student and/or academic citizenship. While we acknowledge historical exclusion and feelings of not belonging, how do students and/or academics navigate these challenges while at the same time contributing to cutting-edge science and research on the African continent?
DAY 4. Linking mathematics to employment
A platform for stakeholders of higher education, industry and business to share their experiences, expectations and suggestions for the future of employment.