15% of South Africans can’t read a single word by Grade 4

The latest report from the 2030 reading panel, published on 24 February 2026, includes the first comprehensive dataset for early-grade reading.

The report found that there have been no improvements in the number of grade 4 learners who can read for meaning, with 80% of learners struggling to comprehend what they read. This is the same percentage reported in the 2025 report, with no improvements.

The report details how these children are being left behind long before they reach Grade 4, with poor results for learners from grades 1 to 3.

The Funda Uphumele National Survey (FUNS) found that only 30% of learners between Grades 1 and 3 are reading at a grade level.

More concerningly, about 15% of learners cannot read a single word by the time they reach the end of Grade 3. 

This number worsens depending on the language of instruction, with a quarter of Sepedi and Xitsonga children not being able to decipher one word. 

“The survey is the first nationally and provincially representative dataset of reading outcomes in Grades 1-4 in all languages reported against Department of Basic Education outcomes,” researchers explain.

Former Deputy President of South Africa, Dr Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, convened the 2030 Reading Panel as a way to bring together the country’s leaders in an effort to reach the goal of every child in Grade 4 being able to read for meaning. 

The Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube, and the Department of Basic Education launched the Funda Uphumele National Survey in November 2025. 

The Department worked for over seven years with linguists and data specialists to develop benchmarks for children from grades 1 to 3 in all 11 official languages.

The benchmarks indicate where learners need to be in their reading proficiency to be able to read for meaning by grade 4. This is the first study measuring these targets.

National government shifts focus away from literacy crisis

The data showed that Grade 3 learners in Quintile 5 schools are almost three times more likely to reach the benchmark than learners in Quintile 1 schools. 

Looking at the results, researchers said it is clear that South Africa is far from meeting the presidential injunction that all Grade 4 learners should be able to read for meaning by 2030. 

The researchers acknowledged that there are early signs of momentum at a national level in the Department of Basic Education, with plans to define a new minimum package of foundation phase resources for schools. 

The DBE has also developed a structured phonics programme for African languages and is piloting a new National Home Language Reading Programme. 

However, the researchers added that national promises and announcements to prioritise reading are not translating into tangible progress.

Furthermore, “the current administration’s plans suggest a shift away from an explicit focus on reading,” researchers found. 

The Medium-Term Development Plan no longer specifically references reading as a goal. “The issue of reading competencies is now included under the broader objective of ‘improved educational skills,” researchers said. 

The plan additionally no longer includes specifics of interventions for reading. 

“A review of documents from the seventh administration suggests that the boundaries between mother tongue-based bilingual education and early grade reading are becoming increasingly blurred”, it was found. 

The 2030 reading panel says these are both complementary and important, but require distinct objectives and strategies.

“Without this clarity, there is a risk that neither are pursued with sufficient depth or intensity,” the researchers said.