There seems to be no end in sight to the education crisis in SA if the recent release of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 report is anything to go by. The report revealed that 81% of Grade 4 pupils could not read for meaning.
This means only less than 20% of our 10-year olds are able to read. In 2016, this figure stood at 78%, which means the country is regressing as far as reading outcomes are concerned. Worse still, the study found that 56% of South African grade 6 pupils cannot read for meaning when tested on the same grade 4 evaluation.
This report comes on the heels of revelations by independent publications, Viewfinder and GroundUp that the “massive reading campaign” for schools announced by President Cyril Ramaphosa in 2019 never got off the ground.
The National Reading Plan was found to be a seriously deficient document with its supposed implementation a collection of random, uncoordinated activities by provincial departments with no proper monitoring. During his February 2019 State of the Nation Address, Ramaphosa said: “This is essential in equipping children to succeed in education, in work and in life, and it is possibly the single most important factor in overcoming poverty, unemployment and equality.”
The latest report has intensified calls by the opposition for the minister of basic education, Angie Motshekga, to be fired after 14 years at the helm marked by declining achievements. What is most disheartening is that SA spends a substantial amount, equivalent to 7% of its GDP, on education but has not seen proportionate improvements in reading outcome.
The minister blamed Covid-19 for the decline in reading outcomes, saying: “The pandemic had exacerbated existing challenges and hindered efforts to address the reading crisis effectively.”
Amnesty International also weighed in on the deepening reading crisis with executive director Shenilla Mohamed stating that if “this report is not a wake-up call, we do not know what it is”.
Mohamed acknowledges the deleterious impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on education but insists it does not excuse the department of basic education from addressing the problem. She further said the grim statistics exposed a failure on the government’s part to protect and fulfil the constitutional right to basic education.
The Viewfinder and GroundUp investigations also point to the crisis as a result of departmental failures, with confirmation that no “massive reading campaign” is underway in SA. Records obtained show that poor planning from the national department, uncoordinated reading interventions by most of the provincial departments, and disorganised monitoring and evaluation of these interventions are all factors feeding the reading crisis.
The 2030 Reading Panel, convened to deliberate measures to ensure that all children learn to read by 2030, also pointed out that the Western Cape was the only province that had budgeted for and implemented a province-wide reading programme.
Professor Sarah Chapman, of the UCT Commerce Faculty said that the reading plan lacked a proper monitoring and evaluation framework. The panel recommended a universal standard assessment of reading be implemented at primary school level and that there be a budgeted plan to fix the reading crisis.
The implication of the reading crisis is that the foundation of all learning is compromised. The failure to overturn the reading crisis from its 2016 state, is a clear sign that the ANC government is out of depth insofar as solutions to the education crisis are concerned.
. At a basic level, parents, as the first teachers and caregivers, play a significant role in preparing children even before they enter kindergarten. This should be inculcated through reading aloud to children, which would increase the brain capacity for language and literacy skills..
By making it a joint effort between schools and homes, the country can start making inroads towards addressing the crisis in education through the inculcation of a culture of reading.
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