National Book Week: SA children ‘do want to read’
The need to foster literacy with a focus on multilingual education amongst South Africa's children has never been more urgent.
That's the message of an educational psychologist as National Book Week begins ahead of International Literacy Day on Sunday.
This year, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation's (UNESCO's) theme is "Promoting multilingual education: Literacy for mutual understanding and peace."
Dr Seago Maapola says the theme is apt for our country.
A 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study found that 81% of South African grade four pupils could not read for meaning in any language.
Maapola says these aren't the only shocking statistics.
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"The recent stats from the 2023 reading perimeter mentioned that three in five homes don't have access to a single picture book and that 65 per cent of children don't have access to a fiction book or a non-fiction book.
"This is quite scary because more and more children are unable to read for meaning. They are also unable to have the understanding of the alphabet under the age of ten."
She says the reading barometer has also revealed that South African children do want to read but often can't find what they'd like to read.
"It is not just about having access to books, but it is about having access to relatable books. Books that are of different languages, cultures to ensure that children are able to see themselves in the books that they read."
September is National Literacy Month in South Africa.
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