JOHANNESBURG - South Africa is facing a literacy crisis.
New data shows that 70 percent of pupils in Grades 1 to 3 cannot read at their grade level.
Basic Education assessed almost 28,000 pupils in over 700 schools nationwide.
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Only 30 percent passed grade-level benchmarks. This has raised concerns about foundational reading methods, such as phonics.
Some parents have now resorted to teaching their children themselves at home.
Without urgent intervention, thousands of children will be deprived of an essential critical skill.