The 2023 National Reading Barometer in South Africa indicates a concerning lack of literacy and reading skills, with nearly three in five homes lacking access to a single fiction or non-fiction book.
It is also revealed that 65% of children under the age of 10 lack picture books, and many leave Grade 1 without alphabet knowledge.
With this report, it is predicted that by 2026, 69% of 10-year-olds will struggle to read for meaning.
It is stated that South Africans express a desire to read, but more accessible and diverse African language texts could enhance children’s engagement and understanding of diverse material.
Seago Maapola, an educational psychologist, reveals that poor literacy skills have significant academic, social, and emotional impacts, leading to frustration, low self-esteem, declining academic results, and ultimately, poor employment prospects.
According to educational experts, preliteracy skills should be introduced as early as birth.
“Learning starts at home and is then supported at an Early Childhood Development (ECD) level. It’s imperative for a child to listen to stories in their mother tongue to understand and attach meaning to what has been read to them. Reading helps develop vocabulary, reasoning, and critical thinking and creates a love for reading, which improves educational outcomes and economic opportunities later in life,” said Maapola.
She further emphasises the need for all children to have easy access to quality reading material, particularly in their mother tongue, which is often out of reach.
To address this need, Wimpy on Nelson Mandela Day announced the opening of its premier corporate social investment initiative, “Read with Wimpy”, at a handover ceremony attended by over 250 children from Uthando Day Care in Vanderbijlpark.
The event featured a special reading by Lebohang Masango, an activist, writer, and poet who has won numerous awards.
It is explained by increasing the availability of multicultural and multilingual reading materials and literacy aids at underprivileged ECD facilities around the nation, the programme seeks to improve literacy abilities at the ECD level.
For the past three years, the brand has partnered with an online children’s bookstore, Ethnikids, for their annual kids’ campaign, making diverse books based on local South African folktales available at Wimpy restaurants and online.
Building on the success of these in-restaurant campaigns, its initiative will see the rollout in underprivileged ECD centres nationwide on an ongoing basis.
The Star