HEARING AND VISION: As South Africa grapples with a deepening education crisis, the authors state that a new study highlights the often-ignored significance of vision and hearing in shaping children’s learning experiences.
Every time literacy results for children in South Africa are released, we question why our children are struggling to read for meaning.
The reasons that are often cited are overcrowded classrooms, underperforming schools, teachers who are stretched beyond their limits, poor school leadership and families who are struggling to support their children's learning at home.
All these challenges are real. Research conducted by the Centre for Social Development in Africa (CSDA) at the University of Johannesburg points to another issue that is often overlooked: can the child actually see and hear well enough to participate in the lesson?
Our CSDA study conducted in public schools around Johannesburg and Moutse in Limpopo found that 29% of children needed an eye and hearing assessment. This finding points to a significant but often overlooked gap in the way we identify some of the barriers that prevent children from learning. National data already tells us that South Africa has a serious challenge when it comes to children's learning outcomes, and the evidence around vision and hearing difficulties gives us another piece of the puzzle.
