Literacy plays a vital role in the growth and development of any nation, and research has shown that the higher the rate of literacy, the better the potential to succeed.
Brand South Africa Reporter
Literacy plays a vital role in the growth and development of any nation, and research has shown that the higher the rate of literacy, the better the potential to succeed.
There is a correlation between income and illiteracy, according to South Africa’s Read Educational Trust, an NGO that specialises in teacher training and the provision of school reading resources.
Data on the organisation’s website reveal that the per capita income in countries with a literacy rate that’s less than 55% averages US$600 (R5 000); in countries with a literacy rate between 55% and 84% it averages $2 400 (R20 200); in countries with a literacy rate between 85% and 95% the average is $3 700 (R31 100); and in countries with a literacy rate above 96% it jumps to $12 600 (R106 000).
A high level of literacy can reduce poverty and crime, contribute to economic growth, and improve the quality of life because people, when they can read information regarding HIV/Aids and other social issues, are able to make informed choices and feel more confident about themselves. This in turn could relieve the burden on the government in terms of the public health system, for instance.
According to South African NGO Project Literacy, reading and writing are fundamental human rights as they allow adults to take control of their lives through being able to vote, fill in an application form, do banking, read instruction manuals, and other activities.
But it’s vital to start this process as early as possible with a sound basic education system and the establishment of a culture of reading at home – which can only be done by adults who themselves know how to read and understand the value of reading.
But according to David Harrison, CEO of the Cape Town-based DG Murray Trust, an organisation that funds early childhood development, literacy and leadership initiatives, at least 70% of Grade R pupils have never been exposed to any sort of early childhood education.
This is critical, he wrote in an online article on Nal’ibali, because children develop the mental tools for literacy and numeracy long before they reach the preschool age.
According to the Department of Basic Education’s 2010 annual national assessment of literacy among schoolchildren, only 45% of Grade three and 35% of Grade six children could read and write at levels expected for their grades.
Fortunately there are alternatives in the numerous literacy programmes that operate around South Africa. These are able to supplement school education and fill the gap by boosting skills and fostering a love of reading.
Literacy rate needs improvement
With International Literacy Day just past – a Unesco-driven event celebrated for the past 40 years on 8 September – the spotlight has fallen on South Africa’s education policies and literacy rate.
According to a report released in 2011 by the UN Development Programme, South Africa ranks at 123 out of 187 countries surveyed, with a literacy rate of 88.7% (2007 figures). South Africa wasn’t the best-performing African country on this list – it was topped by Namibia at 120, Botswana at 118, Egypt at 113, Gabon at 106, Algeria at 96, Tunisia at 94, and Mauritius at 77.
This means that in South Africa, 4.7-million adults are totally illiterate as they never had a day’s schooling in their lives, and a further 4.9-million never completed their primary schooling and are considered functionally illiterate.
Unicef’s website quotes the literacy rate for young South Africans between 15 and 24 years of age, measured between 2005 and 2010, as 97% for young men and 98% for young women.
In its Global Competitiveness Report 2012-2013, the World Economic Forum ranked South Africa a rather dismal 133 out of 142 countries in terms of the quality of its educational system. The top African performer in this category was Kenya at 27, followed by the Gambia at 32 and Zimbabwe at 33.
This ranking was given despite the fact that a large portion of the government budget – about 20% of the total national budget – goes to education. Experts also say that in South Africa, as in other developing nations, more children are attending school, especially primary school, but they can’t explain why the country isn’t achieving better results.
“The real question is whether we as a country can afford children who cannot read – and learn – any longer,” wrote Harrison.
Tackling illiteracy
Established in 1973, Project Literacy is one of many initiatives that are working to address illiteracy in South Africa. It specialises in adult literacy and its programmes are available across the country.
The government-driven Kha Ri Gude (Tshivenda, meaning “let us learn”) mass literacy campaign was launched in 2008 by former education minister Naledi Pandor, and is also focused on adult literacy.
Kha Ri Gude is aimed at the 4.7-million unschooled adults in South Africa and according to basic education minister Angie Motshekga, speaking in February 2012 to the African National Congress Youth League, by the end of 2011, 2 231 364 people had completed the programme, which accommodates blind as well as sighted students. Classes are free.
In 2008 Operation Upgrade, an adult literacy programme in KwaZulu-Natal, received Unesco’s prestigious Confucius Prize for Literacy for its KwaNibela project in the north of the province. KwaNibela works to promote social change and development through adult literacy and adult basic education.
The long-standing annual Readathon is another literacy awareness initiative, this one aimed at encouraging youngsters to read and more importantly, to love to read. The 2012 edition – the 21st – launched in August and runs until the end of October. The Readathon is an initiative of the Read Educational Trust.
The campaign has enlisted the help of several popular celebrities to be its ambassadors – they include boxing champion “Baby” Jake Matlala, musician Dr Victor, and musician/poet Ntsiki Mazwai.
The Readathon also wants South Africans, especially children, to turn reading into a social pastime by forming book clubs.
The help2read organisation started operations in 2006 in Cape Town. It was initially established in 2005 by concerned London businessman Alex Moss, who realised the tremendous impact that a reading programme could have on a developing nation. Today over 110 South African and Namibian schools benefit from the programme, and there are plans to take the programme further into Africa.
Nal’ibali (isiXhosa, meaning “here is the story”) is a bilingual newspaper supplement – English and isiXhosa or isiZulu – that plans to improve literacy statistics in South Africa by promoting a nationwide culture of reading and storytelling for enjoyment. Launched by the Avusa media group and the Project for Alternative Education in South Africa (Praesa), Nal’ibali is aimed at children, but also provides guidelines for adults to help create an everyday story environment for youngsters in their homes and communities.
The weekly supplement currently has a 6.4-million print run. It’s also available for download in PDF format on the Nal’ibali website for those who missed out on the newspaper version.
“Storytelling and reading expose children to a special form of language that is holistic, rich and complex,” said Praesa director Carole Bloch. “This allows them to tune into the rhythms and structures of language and broadens their conceptual worlds and their vocabulary to express themselves.”
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