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Mathematics has always been viewed as the villain of school subjects, so much so that a few years ago, the department of basic education introduced maths literacy to accommodate pupils who struggled with this subject.
In October, 23-year-old Lesedi Mochadibane created a platform known as freenotes.co.za that is said to provide high-quality mathematics notes that he says are so easy as to make sense to many who are scared of this subject.
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Using vibrant colours and diagrams, Mochadibane breaks down complex maths principles into a format that is easy to grasp. Freenotes.co.za is free and does not require one to have data or Wi-Fi to access the platform. Mochadibane covers calculus, algebra, decimal fractions, geometry, and other maths principles on freenotes. The platform seems to have caught on internationally, so much so that it now has more than 10% of its users who are not even from Africa.
According to Business Tech, less than 30% of Mzansi’s matriculants sit for pure maths exams, and only half of those go on to pass. During Mochadibane’s research, he says the key issues around South Africa’s maths issues that he has been able to ascertain are that pupils often find maths boring or harbour a fear or dislike of the subject. Pupils struggle to grasp the fundamental principles that teachers try to teach and pupils do not invest sufficient time practising maths.
His animation and arts background gave him the idea to use animated diagrams to target the auditory and visual parts of the brain to tackle maths, as these are more engaging than a standard lecture. However, he soon found that this would not be feasible as such videos are rather costly both for him as a creator and for the pupils who need assistance with maths, in addition, they are ineffective for people who have a short attention span.
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This led to the creation of freenotes, where Mochadibane created notes that are similar to animated videos but with the exclusion of audio, which also allows pupils to read at their own pace. He said:
On 17 November, just a month after its launch, Mochadibane’s platform won R25 000 cash and R20 000 in tech bundles from the Nedbank Youth X competition where he made the top 5 out of 850 South African youth from across the country.
“Most companies offering maths notes often charge the pupils or they provide a limited free version which requires the pupils to pay for full access. I wanted to be the first in South Africa to offer this service for free.”
