We created the Integrated Maths Program because we saw the deep challenges in Maths education, with many learners feeling left behind. As former teachers, we knew Maths could open doors, but too often, socio-economic barriers stood in the way. The program uses tech and data to break down those barriers, ensuring every child, regardless of background, has the chance to succeed in Maths
The IMP transforms Maths education for grades 3-7 through the Maths Curriculum Online (MCO), a platform aligned with South Africa’s curriculum. Learners complete interactive online exercises with real-time feedback, allowing them to instantly track progress. Teachers use the MCO dashboard to monitor both individual & class performance, adjusting instruction based on real-time data to address learning gaps. IMP is designed for low-data usage & device neutrality, ensuring accessibility even in under-resourced areas. It empowers teachers with insights to tailor lessons, while parents stay engaged tracking their child’s development.
The education department uses the MCO dashboard to oversee schools’ progress at district & provincial levels, leveraging data for decision-making, resource allocation, & targeted interventions. IMP fosters collaboration among learners, teachers, parents, & officials, creating a data-driven system that improves Maths outcomes & drives system change
The IMP has grown steadily & substantially—now reaching 420 226 learners, 7,895 teachers, 846 schools & 311 Department officials across South Africa. From an early pilot to a multi-provincial solution, IMP has expanded through strong partnerships, trust built on usability & proven adaptability in real-world school environments.
Designed for South African classrooms, the IMP’s low-data, device-neutral access makes it ideal for both well-resourced & under-resourced settings—from multigrade rural schools to busy urban centres. It enables learners to participate using minimal infrastructure.
Crucially, this growth has not depended on marketing. Instead, district officials & educators themselves have driven uptake—encouraged by ease of use, integrated real-time data tools & the ability to support teaching, learning & planning at every level. In provinces like the Western Cape—where the IMP has been funded by the Government for over 500 schools for the past five years—officials don’t just support the programme, they rely on it. Live dashboards & data tools are now embedded in district planning, school monitoring & learner support processes.
Backed by research, highlighting the link between consistent IMP use & rising pass rates in the most under-resourced schools,the IMP has shown both the capacity to scale & the credibility to sustain that growth. At just $4 per learner per year, it is an affordable, practical solution built to spread & it is, school by school, system by system.
Green Shoots is deeply committed to listening, learning, and evolving with our beneficiaries. In 2023, this ethos has driven significant enhancements to improve accessibility, effectiveness, and impact across diverse contexts. Responding to feedback from schools with limited devices or large class sizes, we introduced new Learner functionality that enables 2–3 learners to log in, collaborate, and submit Brain Quests together—ensuring no learner is left behind due to infrastructure constraints. This promotes problem-solving, peer learning, and mastery, even in resource-constrained environments.
We also launched the MCO School Overview on GS Insights (May 2025), a major leap in our system-wide support tools. This dashboard provides SMTs and district officials with a real-time, single-screen view of key metrics—ranging from active users and current week activity to badge achievements and highlights from recent Brain Quests. It empowers schools to make informed decisions and track usage trends, even outside of school hours.
These innovations reflect our ongoing mission: to scale deeper and wider—ensuring Maths learning is not only equitable and high-quality, but also responsive to the real-world needs of our schools, teachers, and learners.
For South African schools/learners - you can register via www.gsed.co.za
For organisations wanting to use this solution for school/district/province clusters - please contact Jo Besford or Mark Swartz via admin@gsed.co.za
For organisations wanting to look at deploying this model in a different country -please contact Jo Besford or Mark Swartz via admin@gsed.co.za
