Enough talk: It’s time to make literacy a right in South Africa

South Africa has spent years declaring literacy a priority, but 81% of Grade 4 pupils still cannot read with comprehension. The poorest children in no-fee schools, particularly those whose mother tongue is an African language, bear the brunt of the failure.

A 2015 Supreme Court of Appeal judgment established that every pupil must receive a textbook in every subject at the start of the academic year. The case, Minister of Basic Education v Basic Education for All, opened with Frederick Douglass’s declaration that learning to read brings lasting freedom and Kofi Annan’s description of literacy as a bridge from misery to hope and a basic human right.

South Africa’s Constitution already guarantees basic education. Courts have said that this right must be realised immediately, not gradually, and have identified practical requirements including textbooks, school infrastructure, nutrition, desks, chairs and scholar transport. The argument now is that literacy must join that list as an outcome the government is obliged to secure.

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Once you learn to read, you will be forever free.

Successive presidents and education ministers have issued statements promising action. National and provincial reading programmes have followed, but they have often been fragmented, poorly coordinated and inadequately funded. The 2023 National Literacy Strategy and Plan has faced criticism for failing to set clear responsibilities, timelines, milestones, measurement standards and funding mechanisms.

Some provinces have introduced evidence-based interventions with support from provincial and donor funding. But there is no common standard across the country. A child’s chances of learning to read can therefore depend on where that child lives, leaving geography as another source of inequality.

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Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society.