The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021, the flagship study of the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA), found that 81% of South African grade 4 pupils are unable to read with understanding. South Africa was bottom of the list out of the 57 countries surveyed.
The PIRLS study observed that the attitudes and habits of learners, teachers and communities about reading are at highly disappointing levels. “Reading, writing and learning seems to be a dying culture in most South Africans’ schools and homes”, it commented.
Tackling this statistic head-on with a determination to reduce the percentage dramatically, is MAMAS Alliance, an NPO dedicated to proactive intervention in education, emphasising the importance of early support. Through their network of NGOs, they provide vital assistance to numerous children in rural communities, ensuring a smooth and enriching educational path.
Says Yumna Toefy, Managing Director of MAMAS Alliance: “The literacy programmes within the MAMAS Alliance NGO network have significantly reduced the percentage of Grade 4 learners who cannot read with understanding through focussed literacy initiatives that involve learners, educators, parents and their communities”.
The reasons for poor literacy rates in the South African education system differ depending on who you talk to. The Department of Basic Education blames poverty and historical challenges like inequality, while independent education policy advocates such as the Centre for Development and Enterprise (CDE) point to the education system itself and the specifics of overcrowded classrooms inadequately qualified teaching staff, inadequate infrastructure and low levels of ECD attendance.
Within the MAMA’S Alliance network of NGOs are four outstanding examples of literacy advancement:
HANTAM – Colesberg, Northern Cape
Lesedi – Free State, Southern Free State/Eastern Cape border
Thanda – KwaZulu Natal South Coast
Inspire – Swartland, Western Cape
Highlights from the four literacy programmes include:
24,000 pupils have been through the four programmes since inception at a rate of 1300 per year
Dedicated libraries and librarians
Specialised reading for comprehension programmes
In-home tutors to foster a culture of reading with parents
Well educated and qualified educators
Through the efforts of the MAMA’s Alliance NGOs specialising in literacy programmes, it is evident that, with concentrated efforts and an educational will to improve children’s ability to read with comprehension, an improvement in the 81% of Grade 4 learners who cannot read with understanding is achievable.
Toefy says: “The basics are achievable by the Education Department if they concentrate on the right areas. Inadequately qualified teachers, oversized classes, poverty, inadequate infrastructure and low levels of ECD attendance are a direct cause of a lapse in the education system. Through addressing these issues, MAMA’s Alliance NGOs have shown an improvement to be possible”.