Black Kids' Learning ‘Neglected’

BANTU EDUCATION: WEAK FOUNDATION YEARS BEHIND POOR READING ABILITY - PRESIDENT

- Faizel Patel

President Cyril Ramaphosa has singled out the neglect of black children in the foundation years under Bantu education as one of the reasons for the poor results the country has been recording in surveys which judge the ability to read for meaning in younger school pupils.

In his weekly newsletter yesterday, Ramaphosa noted that one of the most damaging effects of "Bantu education was the deliberate neglect of black children when it came to the provision of foundation years learning.

"One study published in 1992 found that during apartheid, only 6% of black children had access to quality early childhood development programmes, compared to one-third of all white children.

"We have spent the last 30 years trying to correct this. This effort has now received greater impetus with the passage of the Basic Education Laws Amendment Act. This Act makes Grade R, the reception year before Grade 1, compulsory," Ramaphosa said.

While the country achieved a record matriculation pass rate of 87% last year, a 2030 Reading Panel, which was set up to look into early-grade level reading skills, released a report showing that 80% of Grade 3 pupils cannot read for meaning in any language, including their home language.

The report noted that 81% of Grade 4 pupils struggle with reading comprehension in any language.