For years, Benjamin Ndlovu studied chemistry and physics using only textbooks because his school had no laboratory.

"Before we had access to the laboratory, we mostly learned from textbooks," Ndlovu said. "Being able to carry out the experiments ourselves has helped me understand concepts I used to struggle with and has given me more confidence ahead of my exams."

Ndlovu is one of thousands of South African students affected by the lack of science laboratories in most public schools in the country. That gap helps explain why national pass rates have barely moved in years, even as the government has made improving science results a priority.

South Africa's Department of Basic Education has made improving mathematics and physical sciences results a national priority. 

The goal is to address shortages of technical and scientific skills in the economy but progress has been slow. 

Physical sciences pass rates in the 2025 matric exams edged up only slightly, from 76% to 77%, even as more students enrolled in the subject. Mathematics results, another gateway subject for careers in science and engineering, actually declined over the same period.

Ndlovu's classmate at Pine Ridge Senior Secondary School, Zamahlubi Sefoloko, said hands-on lab work has changed how she thinks about her future.

"Science feels different when you can actually see the reactions and use the equipment yourself," Sefoloko said. "It makes the lessons more interesting and has motivated me to work harder because I can now picture myself studying towards becoming a lab technologist."

Across the country, Abenathi Mkhize, another student at Simanyene High School in the Western Cape, said practical work has changed how many students approach the subject.

"The practical lessons have changed the way many of us think about physical sciences," Mkhize said. "Instead of memorizing theory, we can test what we've learned, and that has helped improve our understanding and our results."

A gap in school infrastructure

Behind the national numbers is a stark infrastructure gap. Department of Basic Education data has repeatedly shown that only about one in five public schools has a science laboratory. Roughly three-quarters lack a library. The shortages are worse in poorer provinces such as Limpopo and the Eastern Cape. Government estimates put the cost of closing school infrastructure gaps nationwide in the tens of billions of rand.

The small national gain in physical sciences came even as enrollment in the subject grew. South Africa's Basic Education Minister, Siviwe Gwarube, has pointed out that the country is seeing growth in learner numbers without a corresponding gain in educational quality.

Teachers say access to laboratory equipment is making a real difference. Velile Njobe, a science teacher at Pine Ridge Combined School in Mpumalanga, says the resources are transforming how students learn.

"Practical work allows learners to connect theory with real-life applications," Njobe said. "We've seen students become more engaged in class, ask better questions and develop greater confidence. Access to a laboratory gives them the opportunity to build the skills that Physical Sciences requires."

At Simanyene High School, Principal Miss Gxagxama has seen a similar shift since a mobile laboratory was installed there in 2018.

"We received a donated mobile lab to the school and now the learners are able to do practicals and not only learn physical sciences through theory and textbook learning. Our school had a non-functioning lab and expired chemicals, now Kusile Labs sends us chemicals annually. Since working with them, our school's results have gradually improved," she said.

At Simanyene High School, physical sciences results have undergone a remarkable transformation. The matric pass rate rose from 37.5% in 2020 to 65.3% in 2021, before climbing above 95% in 2022 and reaching 100% in 2025. Pine Ridge Combined School has followed a similar path, recording steady gains in physical sciences performance since 2022.

Where the laboratories come from

Kusile Labs & Technology built the laboratories at both schools. The South African company designs modular and mobile units for schools that cannot afford, or do not have space for, conventional laboratories. 

According to co-founder Pamella Maseko, the company does not determine which schools benefit from the laboratory projects. That decision is generally made by the corporate sponsors providing the funding.

A school with no room to build gets a mobile laboratory that can be wheeled between classrooms. A school with available land can get a modular unit, assembled on-site from prefabricated parts. 

Maseko explained that the process takes only a few weeks, compared with roughly three years for a conventional laboratory. "The modular structure does not necessarily require all the regulatory frameworks that often take so long to implement and fulfill," she added.

Kusile Labs also hires young people from the communities where it builds laboratories, training them to work alongside its own staff during installation, which alleviates unemployment in a country where joblessness among 15- to 24-year-olds reached 60.9% in the first quarter of 2026, according to Statistics South Africa.

A larger, unfinished project

Simanyene and Pine Ridge are two examples in a much bigger challenge. Five decades since the Soweto Uprising, access to quality science education remains out of reach for millions of South African learners. 

For students like Ndlovu, Sefoloko and Mkhize, that is starting to change. They can now do the experiments themselves, instead of only reading about them.