An international study has revealed that 81% of grade 4 pupils in SA can’t read for meaning.
The department of basic education released the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) report on Tuesday in Pretoria.
In 2016, Pirls said 79% of grade 4 pupils couldn’t read for meaning, however this number has now risen by 2%.
The data was collected during the Covid-19 pandemic assessing 400,000 students across 57 countries. The department said due to the pandemic, only 43 countries managed to collect data on schedule.
SA is among three African countries that participate in Pirls. The country tested grades 4 and 6 from August to December 2021, in all 11 languages.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said as they receive the Pirls 2021 results today, they expected the results not to be positive “given the negative and dire consequences” of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added the country’s participation in the first Pirls assessment in 2006 revealed that a significant number of children were reaching grade 5 without acquiring adequate reading comprehension skills.
“Enhancing learners’ ability to read for meaning is a top priority for this administration, aligned with the presidential mandate and the 2030 sustainable development goals, as it forms a crucial cornerstone of the government’s educational mandate,” the minister said.
Motshekga said they were finalising a revised national reading plan to address the gaps in their approach. “This plan will ensure the provision of a minimum Learning and Teaching Support Material package specifically designed to support reading.
“The materials will be culturally and age-appropriate, including resources like alphabet friezes, posters, flashcards, big books and, most importantly, decodable graded reading books developed in various African languages to facilitate children’s reading acquisition”.
She also said the main focus would be on home language literacy, adding that children needed to learn to read in a language they understood.
Grade 4 pupils have difficulty in reading with understanding
Study reveals that 81% can't read for meaning
Image: 123RF
An international study has revealed that 81% of grade 4 pupils in SA can’t read for meaning.
The department of basic education released the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls) report on Tuesday in Pretoria.
In 2016, Pirls said 79% of grade 4 pupils couldn’t read for meaning, however this number has now risen by 2%.
The data was collected during the Covid-19 pandemic assessing 400,000 students across 57 countries. The department said due to the pandemic, only 43 countries managed to collect data on schedule.
SA is among three African countries that participate in Pirls. The country tested grades 4 and 6 from August to December 2021, in all 11 languages.
Basic education minister Angie Motshekga said as they receive the Pirls 2021 results today, they expected the results not to be positive “given the negative and dire consequences” of the Covid-19 pandemic.
She added the country’s participation in the first Pirls assessment in 2006 revealed that a significant number of children were reaching grade 5 without acquiring adequate reading comprehension skills.
“Enhancing learners’ ability to read for meaning is a top priority for this administration, aligned with the presidential mandate and the 2030 sustainable development goals, as it forms a crucial cornerstone of the government’s educational mandate,” the minister said.
Motshekga said they were finalising a revised national reading plan to address the gaps in their approach. “This plan will ensure the provision of a minimum Learning and Teaching Support Material package specifically designed to support reading.
“The materials will be culturally and age-appropriate, including resources like alphabet friezes, posters, flashcards, big books and, most importantly, decodable graded reading books developed in various African languages to facilitate children’s reading acquisition”.
She also said the main focus would be on home language literacy, adding that children needed to learn to read in a language they understood.
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