SA’s grade 4 learners cannot read
In a recent episode of Carte Blanche and reported in many newspapers, it has been established that South Africa’s grade 4 learners cannot read, according to the Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga.
This comes after an international study revealed that grade 4 learners in South Africa had the worst reading ability in the world, with a staggering 81% unable to read for meaning.
Why is it important that children know how to read for meaning? Quite simply, when they don’t understand what they are reading, they are not able to effectively study for exams and remember what they are studying. They will also struggle with word sums in mathematics, which also gives them a setback during exam time.
According to the study, South Africa has participated in the study since 2016, and its achievement score has dropped significantly. South Africa reported that 78% of children in grade 4 could not read for meaning in any language.
Although all these statistics are quite alarming, there is no concrete plan in place where the Department of Education is trying to resolve this issue. Unfortunately, the Department has failed our students and we as parents need to come up with a solution to empower our children to overcome these obstacles.
What is the solution?
Fortunately, Magnificent Kids, an organisation that helps children overcome reading challenges, has seen the gap many years ago and has developed a Reading Program which helps children to not only learn to read but also learn to read with understanding. This Reading Program enables children of all ages to improve their reading, whether they are only starting to read, or have challenges to read, even in higher grades. To find out more about our Reading Program, CLICK HERE.
Our Reading Program doesn’t teach children to read using flashcards and sight words, but we focus on learning the sound of each individual letter and how to blend letters together to form words. This helps the children understand what they are reading. Our Reading Program also focuses on comprehension – reading for meaning – in order to understand what they are reading.
Our Reading Program includes many fun and engaging activities, which makes the learning process a pleasurable one for children and parents. In only 10 minutes a day parents can help their children hugely improve their reading. The results will show in only four to eight weeks. Some children complete our Reading Program in only three months, showing a major improvement in their reading and comprehension. To find out more about our Reading Program, CLICK HERE.
