The National Development Plan (NDP) aims to eliminate poverty and reduce inequality by 2030. To achieve this plan, different sectors have their specific role to play in achieving the ultimate goal.
According to the NDP, South Africa needs an education system with High-quality, universal early childhood education, quality school education with globally competitive literacy and numeracy standards.
The nationally-representative 2016 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) indicated that 78% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa could not read for meaning in any language.
While the 2021 PIRLS report is only set to be released later this year, extrapolating from Western Cape data, the report estimates that the share of grade 4 children that cannot read has increased to an estimated 82%.
The 2030 Reading Panel believes more needs to be done to ensure all children can read for meaning by 2030. The expert panel warned that current rates of progress will result in all children being able to read for understanding in 2098.
The Reading Panel’s Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says there's not enough emphasis placed on transmitting the skills to teach literacy when teachers are being trained before they enter the education system.
They added that some teachers who are already working are unable to provide literacy education in a way that they are expected to.
“We have in-service teachers, the ones that are already teaching, who are unable to provide the literacy education, reading, writing and counting in a manner that we expect them to, who need to be supported,” said Mlambo-Ngcuka.
They added that only two provincial education departments have plans to improve the reading levels among school children. These provinces are Gauteng and the Western Cape.
Provincial education departments have been advised to engage the Gauteng Department of Education and the Western Cape Education Department to develop a plan and begin its implementation.
