The statistics of children reading at their grade level in South Africa paints a grim picture.
South Africa is facing a severe literacy crisis, with new data revealing that 70% of Grade 1 to 3 learners cannot read at grade level in their home language.
As public concern grows over the country's plummeting literacy rates, questions are being raised about whether foundational reading methods, such as phonics, are still being actively taught in South African classrooms.
Earlier this year, Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube addressed the annual 2030 Reading Panel at the release of their latest report in Johannesburg.
The panel released its latest report based on the Department of Basic Education’s (DBE) Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS), which was developed by the DBE over seven years through multistakeholder collaboration, to create reading fluency benchmarks in all 11 languages as Home Languages as well as English First Additional Language.
