Two thirds of SA children don’t own a book before primary
The recently launched National Reading Barometer by Nal’ibali, has painted a bleak picture of South African children’s literacy. A survey revealed that two-thirds of South African children below the age of 10 do not own a single children’s book. Over 4000 South Africans aged 16 and older were surveyed between late 2022 and early 2023. […]
The recently launched National Reading Barometer by Nal’ibali, has painted a bleak picture of South African children’s literacy. A survey revealed that two-thirds of South African children below the age of 10 do not own a single children’s book.
Over 4000 South Africans aged 16 and older were surveyed between late 2022 and early 2023.
ALSO READ: South African kids’ reading journey: Where they stumble
The survey looked into reading practices, preferences and contexts of adults, both in terms of reading for themselves and reading with children in their household.
ALSO READ: Reading literacy: steps to address literacy crisis in South Africa
GRADE 4’S CAN’T READ BOOKS FOR MEANING
Last month the results of the 2021 Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) revealed that 81 percent of the nation’s grade 4’s couldn’t read to understand any language.
Professor Nic Spaull, who was part of the Background Report for the latest 2030 Reading Panel released in February, said, “The same children that failed the PIRLS assessment in Grade 4 failed basic fluency assessments in Grade 2 and did not know all
the letters of the alphabet by the end of Grade 1.”
ALSO READ: Study: SA’s children have lost a decade of reading progress
“The smoking gun at the crime scene of South Africa’s literacy crisis is the fact that our learners do not acquire the most elementary building blocks of the literate world when they need to: in Grades 1 and 2. Policy attention must turn to what is happening in Grade 1 and 2 classrooms that prevent this most basic knowledge from being acquired.”
NOT OF DOOM AND GLOOM FOR SA LITERACY
The reading culture amongst adults is, however, a positive one as the survey revealed that 78 percent of adults read for enjoyment, with 32 percent revealing that they read a book at least once a week.
Access to libraries, however, is just above average, with 58 respondents saying that they have access to a library.
ALSO READ: How Angie Motshekga’s reading plan failed SA’s Children
