By Charmaine Ndlela
Only about 30% of pupils in Grades 1 to 3 can read at the expected level, while 15% of Grade 3 pupils cannot read a single word correctly, the 2030 Reading Panel said on Tuesday as it released its 2026 report on early-grade literacy.
The report found the share of Grade 3 pupils unable to read a single word increased to about 25% in Sepedi and Xitsonga.
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The panel was convened by former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. It meets annually to drive progress towards the goal that children can read for meaning by age 10 by 2030.
The Umlambo Foundation, which hosts the Reading Panel conference and works with the panel around the convening, is a non-profit founded by Mlambo-Ngcuka. It focuses on improving education outcomes in public schools.
Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube said during her keynote address at the event, held at Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, that the findings reinforced that South Africa’s learning crisis starts early, not in later grades.
“International and national assessments have long indicated that learning gaps begin in the early grades and not in matric, not in the intermediate or senior phase, but in the foundation phase itself,” she said at the event.
“The survey gives government a clearer picture of where children are falling behind. It shows specific weaknesses in areas such as letter-sound recognition and oral reading fluency.
“Literacy is the only way we can unlock economic opportunities for our learners in the future,” she said.
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She called for more community involvement and urged parents and caregivers to read with children at home. “It all starts in the home,” she said.
The country’s early literacy challenges have also been flagged in international assessments. The PIRLS 2021 study, released in 2023, found that 81% of South African Grade 4 learners could not read for meaning in any language.
