Impact of Covid on reading competencies ‘no surprise’
The Department of Basic Education has acknowledged the dire effects
Covid-19-related disruptions have had on learning and reading competencies.
Dr March Chetty briefed the media on their response to an international reading and literacy study PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study), on Sunday.
"Covid did play a significant role and had a substantial effect on learners’ scores. The effect was more pronounced in socio-economically disadvantaged communities where there is insufficient home resources and those who are attending schools in more rural provinces."
He says PIRLS, released in May, found that about 80% of grade 4 pupils in the country cannot read with understanding.
Chetty says South African learners found the PIRLS passages challenging to answer in literary and informational texts concerning reading for comprehension.
Basic Education Minister Angie Motshekga said the fact that literacy levels declined during the pandemic didn't come as a surprise.
"South Africa was amongst the countries actively engaging impacts on learning outcomes during the pandemic, and the results we see now in PIRLS align with the early findings. We did say as a department, as we made the presentation, you will see what we have also picked up as the learning losses that have occurred because of the pandemic."
She said parents can also help.
"We can buy children sweets they will enjoy for the moment; we can buy them toys which they likely will outgrow or even break. You give them books; you are giving them life. We need to mobilise young parents to say if it's their birthdays, buy them books, not toys only."
