2030 Reading Panel wants more investment in literacy

JOHANNESBURG - The 2030 Reading Panel wants government to invest more in indigenous language reading materials, and address the digital divide.

This comes after a study found that over 80 percent of Grade 4 pupils in South Africa, cannot read for meaning.

READ: Education in SA | Literacy failure is a "national crisis"

The Basic Education Department says the decline in literacy isn't surprising, blaming the outbreak of COVID-19, in part.

The panel's Elinor Sisulu says they are simply not widely available.

READ: Basic Education Dept defends low literacy rates

"This reading crisis is at the intersection of three major challenges, marginalisation of indigenous languages, lack reading materials is a literacy crisis and digital exclusion, the digital divide.

"And we have to address all these simultaneously in order to address the reading challenges. It's not a problem that we have 11 official languages but it should be a benefit," she said.

"I think there is a lot to be learned from Afrikaans and how Afrikaans community, others would say its because of the unfair investment over a long period of time but the fact is, reading materials for children in Afrikaans are there and widely available and we should have a similar investment for all languages and this needs to be done inside schools as well as outside schools."