FirstRand and NMI unite to tackle maths gap
Namibia has a mathematics problem. Too many learners leave Grade 11 without the marks needed for tertiary study, held back further by schools short on teaching materials and specialised training. No single organisation can fix that alone. But a five-year partnership between the FirstRand Namibia Foundation and the Namibia Mathematics Institute (NMI) shows what happens when two organisations try.
NMI trains Grade 10 and 11 mathematics teachers, giving them practical methods, mentorship and hands-on learning materials. FirstRand Namibia Foundation funds it. Together, they have trained an average of 25 teachers a year from each of eight regions — around 200 teachers reaching an estimated 40,000 learners nationwide.
The theory behind the partnership is simple: fix the teaching, and confidence follows. A well-supported teacher builds confident learners, and confident learners stop seeing mathematics as a subject defined by failure. NMI's teaching aids are designed to do exactly that, turning a feared subject into one learners can approach with curiosity.
The timing matters most in Grades 10 and 11, when learners are making decisions that shape access to university and careers in engineering, finance, technology, medicine and data science.
For FirstRand Namibia Foundation, the NMI partnership sits within a broader strategy built on six pillars: education and financial literacy, community and health development, skills and capacity development, environmental guardianship, arts and culture development and sports development. Education is the anchor. The Foundation's view is that national development starts with investing in people, and that mathematics specifically unlocks economic participation and problem-solving skills learners can turn on real challenges at home.
The programme is growing. Kharas and Oshana join the rollout in 2026, extending practical maths support to more teachers and learners.
The partnership's logic is cumulative: every teacher trained can influence hundreds of learners over a career, and every learner who gains confidence in mathematics moves closer to opportunities that were previously out of reach. It is a model built on the idea that meaningful progress in education comes from collaboration between the private sector, government, schools and communities, not from any one actor working in isolation.
For FirstRand Namibia Foundation and NMI, investing in mathematics today is a direct investment in Namibia's future workforce, competitiveness and capacity for innovation.
