During Literacy Month in South Africa, it became evident that millions of citizens continue to face the consequences of limited literacy, and children struggle to acquire basic reading skills, highlighting the scale of the literacy problem in the country.
These findings received special attention in September, when South Africa observes National Literacy Month and International Literacy Day. This period is intended to draw attention not only to the importance of reading and writing but also to the inequality that determines access to developing these skills.
According to the latest analysis by Statistics South Africa, published on September 11, clusters with high rates of adult illiteracy have become smaller and less intense compared to 1996.
However, the problem has not disappeared entirely. According to Stats SA, the strongest concentration of adult illiteracy is still observed in northeastern KwaZulu-Natal, which largely corresponds to the uMkhanyakude district. Furthermore, there remain other pockets of high illiteracy in parts of KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
In contrast, Gauteng and the Western Cape continue to form the strongest clusters of relatively low adult illiteracy, with the cluster in Gauteng extending to neighboring provinces.
Stats SA noted that comparing data from 1996 and 2022 demonstrated both 'continuity and change' in the geographical distribution of adult illiteracy. The statistical agency summarized that 'overall, the scale of high illiteracy clustering has significantly decreased between 1996 and 2022,' but warned that 'northeastern KwaZulu-Natal remained the most persistent hot spot in the country,' while Gauteng and the Western Cape continued to constitute the strongest clusters of low literacy.
The national review by Funda Uphumelele, conducted by the Department of Basic Education (DBE), covered approximately 28,000 learners in 710 schools and established the first representative baseline for reading skills in all 11 official languages in the country. It was found that only 31% of first-grade students achieved the reading benchmark in their home language, and just over 30% of second and third-grade students achieved the corresponding benchmarks. Most alarmingly, 15% of third-grade students could not read a single word.
The Department set a clear goal: children should develop the basic skills necessary for reading comprehension by age ten. Minister of Basic Education Sivive Gouarbe stated that the results revealed the scale of the problem but also provided the government with clearer evidence of where interventions are needed.
Gouarbe emphasized: 'The Funda Uphumelele results confirm that we still face serious challenges in primary grades. Too many children have not yet reached the fluency thresholds required to read with comprehension by fourth grade.' However, she added that 'the good news is that we now understand much more precisely where the problem lies and, therefore, what to do about it.'
Director of Reading, Dr. Nomphumelilo Mokhokhlwane, stressed that the responsibility cannot rest solely on teachers. During the celebration of International Literacy Day in Mpumalanga, she stated: 'Literacy is a shared responsibility,' calling on parents, teachers, schools, libraries, and communities to foster a culture of reading and strengthen children's vocabulary and literacy skills.
This year, International Literacy Day was celebrated under the theme 'Literacy for People, Planet, and Prosperity.' Deputy Minister of Basic Education Dr. Regina Mkhaule particularly highlighted the importance of mother-tongue based bilingual education. Mkhaule strongly recommended that learners embrace their home languages as sources of knowledge, identity, and pride, asserting that such an approach can contribute to improving literacy and numeracy in schools.
The focus on early reading and literacy in the mother tongue is crucial because the Funda Uphumelele results show that inequality manifests at early stages. DBE found that learners in more affluent schools and in provinces like Gauteng and the Western Cape were more likely to meet reading benchmarks, but the study warned that this advantage is strongly linked to socio-economic disparities.
This means that the map compiled by Stats SA for adults offers a lesson to the education system today. Relatively higher literacy rates in areas like Gauteng and the Western Cape coexist with communities elsewhere where educational deficits remain deeply concentrated. And if basic reading does not improve, today's struggling students risk becoming adults with limited literacy skills.
Mari Payne, Deputy Executive Director and Senior Director of Education and Programs at Sesame Workshop South Africa, believes that literacy development begins long before a child encounters formal reading assessment. She explained that 'a baby hears a familiar voice and turns to it. A toddler points through a taxi window while an adult teaches the child the name of what they see. A three-year-old insists on repeating the same song, or a small child invents an elaborate story where two spoons become people, and a box becomes a house.'
Payne continued: 'Long before children can read words on a page, they absorb the fundamentals of literacy: how to listen, respond, recognize sounds, build vocabulary, understand meaning, and use language to communicate with others. Growing minds establish these connections through loving voices and daily routines around them.'
_