WhatsApp Maths Hotline a winning formula for KZN learners

A WHATSAPP Maths Hotline is adding significant value to learners in KwaZulu-Natal.

Established by the education non-profit, OLICO Maths Education, the hotline first emerged as a means of staying connected to schoolchildren during the hard lockdown in 2020.

By simply sending a WhatsApp message to 0600 39 00 00, a learner is granted direct access to a trained maths tutor for grades 7–10, thousands of maths worksheets and tutorial videos, as well as automated lesson pathways on key maths concepts.

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The initiative is backed by the Datatec Education and Technology Foundation, and now, more than 15 700 South African children have accessed the hotline this year alone.
OLICO co-founder and executive director Andrew Barrett says that while the service is available nationally, the organisation has been working especially closely with district officials and rural schools in KwaZulu-Natal’s Amajuba District to optimise its use.
“When Grade Nine learners in our KZN partner schools started algebra in the second term this year, they were also instructed to participate in an ‘Algebra Challenge’ on WhatsApp when they were at home. The Algebra Challenge mirrored what the teachers were doing in class and provided an opportunity to reinforce the prior content knowledge of learners,” he said.

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“When learners got stuck on the challenge, they could ask to speak to a human tutor who then diagnosed the issue and guided the learner towards a deeper understanding. This is just one example of the kind of impact the hotline is making in the province. The intention is not a ‘drop-and-run’ or once-off solution. It is a consistent support system for learners as they move through their maths backlogs and grade-level curriculums,” Barrett said.

He expects some 25 000 learners will have accessed the Maths Hotline by the end of the year.