Education Consulting, Future Skills, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Literacy rates drop in SA - 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language
Today, the findings of the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2021 study were released. The results, once again, are devastating. We have essentially lost a decade of progress, returning to literacy rates of 2011.
Some key findings (thanks to Nic Spaull):
1. South Africa experienced the largest decline in reading outcomes (-31 points) of all 33 countries/regions with data in 2016 and 2021.
2. English and Afrikaans schools did not experience a decline between 2016 and 2021. In comparison, most African language schools did decline, highlighting that the pandemic increased inequality between no-fee and fee-charging schools.
3. Northern rural provinces experienced the largest declines in reading with coastal provinces experiencing the smallest declines.
4. South Africa had the largest gender gap (pro-girl) of all 57 participating countries/regions.
5. The average Brazilian Grade 4 child is three years ahead of the average South African Grade 4 child. In Brazil 61% of Grade 4’s could read at a basic level in 2021 compared to 19% in South Africa.
Evidence-based interventions that have been shown to improve literacy outcomes include: providing teacher assistants in the classroom, giving books to kids, training teachers face to face & using teacher-coaches. These strategies are solid, and should be intentionally deployed by the DBE as a matter of urgency.
In a country with such a range of social & structural challenges, I would like to see far more attention paid to the role of SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) in literacy. Research shows that SEL benefits all children, but disproportionately benefits kids from low-socio-economic contexts (for a bunch of reasons). How can we be more deliberate about weaving SEL strategies into literacy interventions?
Huge thanks as always to Nic Spaull for helping us to make sense of the numbers, and for having such a solution orientation
#literacy#education
As a social entrepreneur, for every crisis, there is an opportunity to positively impact people's lives. Literacy is the foundation for giving people more options in life and in our context, escaping the poverty cycle.
In a sector that is highly fragmented and silo-driven, I thought it best to share approaches to collaboration and partnerships, and hope that more people and organisations will share theirs, or at best, reach out to explore potential synergies with us.
If "Evidence-based interventions that have been shown to improve literacy outcomes giving books to kids are solid strategies that should be intentionally deployed by the DBE as a matter of urgency", then these case studies are worth considering:
We've partnered with Niël Wilken and the Qualibooks Group to provide teachers, learners, and parents access to Kibooks library containing +3,500 storybooks for ages 3-15 across multiple learning categories and in all official languages. The library has been sponsored by Hollard Insurance for 12 months, and at some stage the platform was zero-rated, so we were able to remove the data cost barrier.
We then extended this partnership to run a national campaign "Love to Read" where anybody could nominate a school or community, where they stood a chance of winning 1 of 6 mobile wheelie libraries, with 250 books of their choice (from a catalog of 6000). Qualibooks Group provided the books and wheelie containers, Hollard Insurance sponsored the prizes, and the Literacy Association of South Africa join us with valuable input in structuring the entries. Things like language and medium were aspects we had overlooked. The prizes will be distributed in the coming months.
I'm also proud of the achievements of Adele Mooi, who with 38 years of experience in the ECD sector, created pre-reading and language development toolkits, and has published 10 new titles for ECD and Grade 1 on life skills and school readiness. This was made possible in partnership with the City of Johannesburg Grant-in-aid and community-based organisations. Four book fairs have successfully delivered and ~5000 books have been distributed to kids from under-resourced communities in Gauteng and Limpopo.
All of this was only possible through partnerships. If you're keen to explore potential synergies or support our work, please reach out!
#literacy#literacyforall#partnersmakemorepossible#partner#partnerships
Education Consulting, Future Skills, Harvard Graduate School of Education
Literacy rates drop in SA - 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language
Today, the findings of the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2021 study were released. The results, once again, are devastating. We have essentially lost a decade of progress, returning to literacy rates of 2011.
Some key findings (thanks to Nic Spaull):
1. South Africa experienced the largest decline in reading outcomes (-31 points) of all 33 countries/regions with data in 2016 and 2021.
2. English and Afrikaans schools did not experience a decline between 2016 and 2021. In comparison, most African language schools did decline, highlighting that the pandemic increased inequality between no-fee and fee-charging schools.
3. Northern rural provinces experienced the largest declines in reading with coastal provinces experiencing the smallest declines.
4. South Africa had the largest gender gap (pro-girl) of all 57 participating countries/regions.
5. The average Brazilian Grade 4 child is three years ahead of the average South African Grade 4 child. In Brazil 61% of Grade 4’s could read at a basic level in 2021 compared to 19% in South Africa.
Evidence-based interventions that have been shown to improve literacy outcomes include: providing teacher assistants in the classroom, giving books to kids, training teachers face to face & using teacher-coaches. These strategies are solid, and should be intentionally deployed by the DBE as a matter of urgency.
In a country with such a range of social & structural challenges, I would like to see far more attention paid to the role of SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) in literacy. Research shows that SEL benefits all children, but disproportionately benefits kids from low-socio-economic contexts (for a bunch of reasons). How can we be more deliberate about weaving SEL strategies into literacy interventions?
Huge thanks as always to Nic Spaull for helping us to make sense of the numbers, and for having such a solution orientation
#literacy#education
Literacy rates drop in SA - 81% of Grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language
Today, the findings of the PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) 2021 study were released. The results, once again, are devastating. We have essentially lost a decade of progress, returning to literacy rates of 2011.
Some key findings (thanks to Nic Spaull):
1. South Africa experienced the largest decline in reading outcomes (-31 points) of all 33 countries/regions with data in 2016 and 2021.
2. English and Afrikaans schools did not experience a decline between 2016 and 2021. In comparison, most African language schools did decline, highlighting that the pandemic increased inequality between no-fee and fee-charging schools.
3. Northern rural provinces experienced the largest declines in reading with coastal provinces experiencing the smallest declines.
4. South Africa had the largest gender gap (pro-girl) of all 57 participating countries/regions.
5. The average Brazilian Grade 4 child is three years ahead of the average South African Grade 4 child. In Brazil 61% of Grade 4’s could read at a basic level in 2021 compared to 19% in South Africa.
Evidence-based interventions that have been shown to improve literacy outcomes include: providing teacher assistants in the classroom, giving books to kids, training teachers face to face & using teacher-coaches. These strategies are solid, and should be intentionally deployed by the DBE as a matter of urgency.
In a country with such a range of social & structural challenges, I would like to see far more attention paid to the role of SEL (Social & Emotional Learning) in literacy. Research shows that SEL benefits all children, but disproportionately benefits kids from low-socio-economic contexts (for a bunch of reasons). How can we be more deliberate about weaving SEL strategies into literacy interventions?
Huge thanks as always to Nic Spaull for helping us to make sense of the numbers, and for having such a solution orientation
#literacy#education
The recently released data from the Department of Basic Education in South Africa has revealed a shocking reality: 81% of Grade 4 learners in the country lack the ability to read for meaning in any of the 11 official languages. This distressing statistic serves as a wake-up call, highlighting the urgent need for intervention in the country's education system. It underscores the importance of investing in literacy programs and addressing the deep-seated inequalities that persist within the system.
This alarming statistic is a clear indication that South Africa's education system is in desperate need of reform. The majority of Grade 4 learners being unable to comprehend written words severely hampers their development and sets them up for a lifetime of limitations. The findings also expose the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities, highlighting the existing inequalities. However, there is hope in the transformative power of books. By promoting literacy from an early age and implementing comprehensive initiatives that involve collaboration among the government, educators, community organizations and individuals, we can work towards a brighter future for South Africa's children.
In 2022, Southern Hemisphere conducted a crucial evaluation in partnership with Penreach NGO, focusing on its Asifundze Numeracy and Literacy Programme.
The findings from this evaluation align with the recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) report, which revealed that 8 out of 10 grade 4 pupils in South Africa cannot read for meaning. This alarming statistic highlights the urgent need for impactful change in literacy and basic education development.
At Southern Hemisphere, we recognise the critical role we can play in contributing to the development of literacy and numeracy capacity through our evaluations of programs like Asifundze. Our evaluations focus on program relevance, scalability, sustainability, and effectiveness, providing essential insights for sustaining and enhancing educational interventions.
The indelible mark left by the inability to read for meaning impacts the future of our country. Evaluations shed light on the strengths and areas for improvement in educational programs, guiding us in making impactful changes. As the need for quality education surpasses the available resources, evaluations become even more critical in sustaining important programs and interventions in the education sector.
Through our work with Penreach and other partners, we strive to contribute to the development of critical literacy and numeracy capacity, ensuring that more learners are adequately prepared for future academic success. We invite you to read more about the PIRLS findings and their implications for South Africa's education system in this news report:
https://lnkd.in/dCsnPHt5#EducationEvaluation#LiteracyDevelopment#ImpactfulChange#EducationTransformation#SouthernHemisphere#PIRL#Asifundze#Penreach
An important editorial in today's BusinessDay reflecting on #PIRLS2021 reading results and what it means for the future of South Africa. More than four out of five South African grade 4s — 81% — are unable to read for meaning. Without full comprehension of what is actually being read, it sets a child up to fail as they navigate their education journey. The importance of early childhood development centers with learning outcomes and environments conducive to learning is critical. So too, is a child's access to books and reading material in the first ten years. This needs to change.
https://lnkd.in/dwAz3cv5#PIRLS2021#pirls#learning#reading#literacy#earlychildhoodeducation#breadlineafrica
Manager at EY (London) | Rising Star Award Finalist at the EY Black Star Awards (UK&I) | Founder of THE GREAT AFRICAN READ | Joy of Reading Finalist (Denmark)
Happy International Literacy Day!
To celebrate this year's International Literacy Day, we wanted to first reflect on the incredible goals we have reached over the last few years:
- Through our writing competitions and our publishing process, we have created an environment that has enabled over 13 South African learners to be published authors;
- Published 3 main editions from The Great African Read book series;
- Published our first toddler edition from The Great African Read book series;
- Created three reading rooms in the most impoverished and under resourced communities across South Africa, with the following schools being our focus point: Hlokomani Primary School located in KwaZulu-Natal (2020), Emazizini Primary School located in the Eastern Cape (2021) and Zonkizizwe Primary School located in Gauteng (2022). This has positively impacted over 1500 learners to date.
- Numerous other activities, including book drives, hosting spelling and reading competitions and so much more!
On this day, International Literacy Day, we wanted to introduce the primary school that we will be adopting for 2023 - meet Khiphokuhle Primary School (KPS).
KPS is a farm school located in the northern part of KwaZulu-Natal. This school was built by the parents of the community in which the school resides, over 50 years ago. It is currently home to over 200 learners. The school is severely under resourced with a failing infrastructure that is unable to adequately support the needs of the learners.
The aim of our reading room renovation is to create a safe space for learners that prioritise reading and writing and that will in turn support the improvement of the literacy levels and the overall academic performance within this school. This will then lead to even more positive ripples being created across the community.
Do join us as we continue to drive our efforts in renovating the reading room for KPS. You can do so as follows:
1. Help reach our funding goal: https://lnkd.in/e-VE_sC9
2. Purchase a book from our book series: https://lnkd.in/dr7UNse
All proceeds raised will go towards the renovation of the reading room at KPS. All efforts, big or small, always go a long way.
We look forward to sharing with those far and wide the completed renovation of the reading room at KPS in the coming months! :)
#positivelyimpactingchange#readersareleaders #readingroomforKPS #internationalliteracyday
The illiterates of 21stCentury-Kenyan Education Context
“The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn,” Alvin Toffler.
The 21stcentury by nature or design has come with what is popularly referred to as, “The 21st century skills and competencies”. Competencies based curriculum(CBC) stems from these global skills. Imagine sleeping and waking up one day in a world where traveling to another country is the order of the day, in a world where everything is technology driven, a world where instructional materials are at the disposal of everyone,and most importantly a world where no one asks you to produce your certificate but gives you a task to complete before hiring you.This is the world of 21st century competencies and skills.Those who will not be ready to learn the new skills, unlearn the old order of teaching and learning methodologies and relearn any would be new phenomena will be the illiterates of the 21st century.
https://lnkd.in/dX_fnPmu
Co-authored by:
1.) Dr. Francis Ong’ayo: Ministry of Education- Kenya
Education Officer
Linguistics and Communication Expert.
francisonyango96@gmail.com
2.) Michael Ochieng Nyawino: World Literacy Foundation Ambassador 2020,
Co-Founder COHECF KENYA (NGO),
Financial Literacy Ambassador- Kenya
Empowerment Consultant
michaelnyawino@gmail.com
+254725368831
While the findings of the most recent Progress in International Reading Literacy Study reveal some bleak statistics on reading skills and habits in South Africa, there is some good news to consider: the 2022 National Reading Survey demonstrates that when reading is conceptualised more broadly, South Africans are in fact readers – but there are a number of barriers to expanding reading practice that must be overcome.
