The 2021 results of the Progress in International Reading and Literacy Study (PIRLS) were recently published and indicated that 81% of South Africa’s grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning. While disturbing, considering the results of previous surveys and studies, it does not come as a surprise.
The 2021 PIRLS Survey
The 2021 results match what was predicted back in February, when a report was released by the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) estimating that 82% of grade 4 learners were unable to read for meaning in any language.
South Africa produced one of the lowest reading scores in global rankings, with 288 points on the PIRLS test, a 32-point drop from 320 in the previous year. This is the first time that the country has declined from one year to the next.
The PIRLS survey involves 320 grade 4 pupils from 320 different schools and tests learners on their reading comprehension.
The comprehension typically involves a simple 400-word text in the form of a story. Learners are then asked questions relating to what they have just read and are required to retrieve answers from the text. If they are unable to do this, then the conclusion is that the learner is unable to read at a basic level.
A large percentage of South African school children are between two and four years behind the curriculum, so in addition, grade 6 learners were also tested. This survey yielded similar results. If a child is already behind in grade 4, it is unlikely that they will catch up by the time they reach grade 6, so these results were not unexpected.
Even more alarming, is that these pupils are tested in their language of learning, whether that is English or isiZulu, so the excuse of a language barrier is invalid. All 11 official languages were tested in the 2021 PIRLS survey.
When compared to Brazil, a country with a similar GDP to South Africa, our learners are 3,3 years behind in their reading ability. This does not come as a shock, as we constantly rank near the bottom in other learning areas, including maths and science.
Government Continues To Fail Our Learners
The South African Constitution states that each child has the right to an education. However, when the majority of our grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning, and more than half of our grade 1 learners do not know the alphabet - it shows that our pupils are being seriously betrayed by the education system.
While the government continues to blame the COVID-19 pandemic as the source of these concerning statistics, and even goes as far as to dismiss such results, Dr Nic Spaull, Education economist from Stellenbosch University and the Secretary of The National Reading Panel, gives some insight into the situation.
We've had a crisis since before the pandemic, but I think what the pandemic has done is really just set us back even further and now we’re continuing business as usual as if we haven’t got this generational catastrophe on our hands.
The first few years of school are when learners are meant to grasp basics like reading, writing and learning the alphabet as these serve as the foundation for later learning and eventually entering the workforce. However, when these learners fail so early on in their school careers, the chances of them dropping out are high.
The WCED has recently launched the #BackOnTrack programme in an effort to improve learning outcomes and recover learning losses in the province. However, if the education system as a whole is going to be improved, the Department needs to intervene, rather than making promises they cannot keep and setting targets they cannot reach.
