'No magical recipe' for literacy: Top-performing countries have 'very different educational systems'

18 views May 17, 2023

Eight out of 10 South African schoolchildren struggle to read well by the age of 10, an international study published on Tuesday said. The finding from the US-based Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) showed that 81 percent of South African fourth graders, aged between nine and 10, battle with reading comprehension. Inability to read worsened in Africa's most industrialized country from 78 percent of youngsters in 2016 to 81 percent in 2021, the latest year studied. The investigation assessed 400,000 pupils across 57 countries globally. > South Africa came lowest, scoring 288 points compared with the international average of 500. > The highest was Singapore, with 587 points. For more analysis and a deeper perspective on children's literacy worldwide, FRANCE 24 is joined by Dr. Thierry Rocher, Director for Evaluation at DEPP (French Ministry of Education) & Chair of IEA (International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement). The IEA is an international cooperative of national research institutions, governmental research agencies, scholars, and analysts working to research, understand, and improve education worldwide.