International Literacy Day: Need to foster literacy among SA children still a pressing issue
While International Literacy Day is meant to bring awareness to the importance of literacy for creating a more literate and sustainable global society, for South Africa, things look grim.
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JOHANNESBURG - Sunday marks International Literacy Day. In 2024, it will be celebrated under the theme of "Promoting Multilingual Education: Literacy and Mutual Understanding of Peace".
According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), illiteracy remains a global problem, with a whopping 773 million adults facing literacy challenges — two-thirds of whom are women.
International Literacy Day was first proposed during the 1965 World Conference of Ministers on the Eradication of Illiteracy in Tehran, Iran.
It was recommended that countries observe 8 September as International Literacy Day.
While this day is meant to bring awareness to the importance of literacy for creating a more literate and sustainable global society, for South Africa, things look grim.
The 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study found that 81% of South African grade four students cannot read for meaning in any language. This is an increase from the 2016 figure of 78%.
This means that roughly 8 out of 10 children need help locating and retrieving explicitly stated information in simple and easy text.
As South Africa marks International Literacy Day, the need to foster literacy, with a particular focus on young children, remains a pressing issue.