SOWETAN | Save our kids from illiteracy

The results of a global survey, which found that an alarming 81% of grade 4 pupils in SA can’t read for meaning, offer a sobering look at the reality of our education.

The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) published on Tuesday revealed that SA is lagging far behind the over 50 countries surveyed and that we have regressed by 2% since the last report was published. SA was among three African countries that took part in the study. It tested grades 4 and 6 from August to December 2021 in all 11 languages, according to the department of basic education.

The report underlines how deep our problems run in education and the difficulties we will continue to face in overcoming our developmental challenges. This is because learning outcomes provide the best measure of progress by a country.  

But beyond what this study found, we ought to understand what it means for our progress as a nation because it has far-reaching implications that will impact future generations. Evidence shows that low levels of literacy and numeracy can have a severe impact on pupils’ learning going forward. In fact, it sets them back in terms of their development into the future.

The findings of the study therefore call for a reality check on the effectiveness of our policy and interventions in response to the problems.

According to education expert Prof Mary Metcalfe, there must be a national consensus on what needs to be done to improve learning. “A national investment in improving reading must focus on all children – but particularly those who [are] in poorly-resourced schools. Investing in reading improvement will deepen quality, reduce inequity, and improve efficiency in the system,” she told Sowetan this week.

Of course, the government has the primary duty of ensuring it develops proper interventions, including improvement in the training of teachers, and we must ask what solutions have been developed to counter this regression in education.  However, with SA’s deep structural economic and social problems, business also has a responsibility to help in creating the next set of employees.

Without good quality education, the majority of pupils are likely to remain trapped in poverty and unemployed and become a lost generation.