An international literacy study has confirmed that 81% of South Africa's grade 4 children could not read for meaning in any language in 2021, almost exactly the same proportion as in 2011. This means that a decade of slow progress in reading has been wiped out. More than 12,000 South African learners from 321 schools participated in the 2021 round of PIRLS. The study is conducted every five years. Of the 57 countries and regions that participated, South Africa performed the worst.
However, a research paper published by Professor Ursula Hoadley from the University of Cape Town's Education Department mapped out learning losses in public schools. She criticised the DBE for a"business as usual" approach, noting that there are no nationally coordinated programmes or attempts to recoup class time and learning losses. One notable exception is in the Western Cape where the provincial Department of Education recently launched its R1.2-billion #BackOnTrack campaign.
Hoadly's paper was released to coincide with the PIRLS results, showing that the Department of Basic Education has done almost nothing to help children catch up on lost time.SAnews.gov.za, 19 June 2023 Department of Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga says learning losses – or losses in schooling hours – as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic seriously… A Proposal to Upskill the 81 Percent of Grade 4 Children in South Africa Who Can't ReadWe propose that the Treasury provides an additional conditional grant to enable provincial education departments to ensure that improving reading skills is adequately and...