Reflection on teachers’ perceptions of the factors influencing a decline in learner enrolment in Economics: A case of Koloti Circuit in Limpopo Province

This study reflects on teachers’ perceptions of the factors that contribute to the persistent decline in learner enrolment in Economics within Koloti Circuit, Limpopo Province. Grounded in Critical Theory, the study interrogates the structural, pedagogical, and socio-cultural conditions shaping subject choice in under-resourced schools. A qualitative approach, employing semi-structured interviews with twelve purposively selected Economics teachers from six secondary schools, allowed the researchers to access participants’ lived experiences and professional insights. Data were thematically analysed to uncover recurring patterns and meanings. The findings reveal that external influences from parents, peers, and teachers, coupled with inadequate academic performance and limited awareness of career pathways in Economics, discourage learners from enrolling in the subject. Each factor reflects the connection of structural inequalities, teacher agency, and learner subjectivity, revealing Economics as both an intellectual pursuit and a contested space within schooling. The study concludes that without deliberate interventions—such as strengthened career guidance, reformed curriculum design, and equitable school practices—Economics risks further marginalisation in the secondary school curriculum. Recommendations are advanced for policymakers, school managers, and teachers to reimagine Economics education as relevant, empowering, and socially just. This study contributes to scholarship by providing context-specific insights to improve curriculum design and strengthen career guidance in Economics within the Koloti Circuit. It further informs educational stakeholders on strategies to address structural and socio-cultural barriers to learner enrolment, and lays a foundation for broader research on Economics enrolment trends in South Africa.