Abstract:

South Africa’s Community Learning Centres serve as critical access points for post school education, yet many centres continue to struggle with the successful delivery of the Grade 12 Mathematics curriculum. This qualitative case study observed how socio economic deprivation shapes curriculum implementation in three centres located in the Gauteng North Region. Guided by a constructivist paradigm, the study employed an ethnographic multiple case design. A structured observation tool, aligned with the Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement and literature on educational inequality, captured data on infrastructure, resources, pedagogy, student engagement, and poverty indicators across six mathematics lessons. Thematic analysis revealed five interconnected constraints: severe shortages of core learning materials, dilapidated and overcrowded classrooms, teacher demoralisation arising from professional isolation and limited support, student absenteeism linked to poverty and domestic responsibilities, and a pervasive mismatch between policy mandated student centred pedagogy and resource poor realities. These conditions collectively undermine curriculum fidelity, restrict student participation, and perpetuate low achievement trajectories. The study recommends targeted resource provision, dedicated infrastructure investment, student welfare interventions, and continuous professional development tailored to the Community Education and Training (CET) context. To move beyond piecemeal responses, the research advocates adoption of Deliverology and Implementation Science as complementary frameworks for data driven planning, contextual adaptation, iterative monitoring, and accountability. Integrating these frameworks with equity oriented funding mechanisms can bridge the policy practice gap and enable centres to provide a transformative mathematics learning experience for historically marginalised youth and adults. Future research should evaluate pilot interventions informed by these frameworks to measure impact on student outcomes.

Keywords:

Socioeconomic Inequality, Curriculum Implementation, Community Learning Centres, Educational Marginalisation, Implementation Frameworks, Resource Constraints, Mathematics.