A reading revolution on the southern tip of Africa

• In Event: Contextual inquiry & reading programs: using evaluation tools to understand impact

Proposal

The fundamental challenge of education in South Africa is that, by Grade four, only two out of ten children are on track in terms of their ability to read (PIRLS, 2016). The other 80% are already falling behind. Most of them never catch up. The inability to read and understand is the root cause of children’s difficulty to learn at school, leading to school drop-out and poor educational outcomes. Only half of the children who entered Grade two ten years ago graduated from Grade 12 ten years later (Spaull, 2018).

Language development achieved through reading and story-telling is the basis for literacy and attainment. Numerous studies have found associations between pre-school language attainment and the ability to learn in school. Furthermore, the ability to read and comprehend promotes social cohesion and innovation by building empathy, critical thinking and imagination. These factors are the heart of a stable nation

However, status quo drives unemployability in South Africa, reducing national productivity. A 2010 study by the Department of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch concluded that the GDP per capita in South Africa would be around 23% higher if all South Africans were sufficiently literate to participate in the formal economy.

Two mutually reinforcing factors drive the poor culture of reading in South Africa. The first is the lack of access to reading materials, particularly in African languages. The second is that parents and communities do not fully appreciate the power of reading, and what they themselves can do to improve reading ability and educational outcomes. The importance of oral storytelling, talking to children, songs and rhymes, which also support language development, are largely undervalued.
In 2012 the Nal’ibali (an isiXhosa word meaning “here’s the story”) national Reading for Enjoyment campaign was launched to mobilise society to grow a culture of reading. From its inception, its premise has been that it must be of sufficient scale, intensity and longevity to change reading behaviour in South Africa.

Nal’ibali’s approach is based on three key principles:

1. Reading for enjoyment equips children to learn.
Multiple international and longitudinal studies show that when children read for pleasure, it has a greater effect on educational achievement than their family’s socio-economic status.

2. Children need a solid foundation in their mother tongue.
A 2006 review of 42 mother-tongue and multilingual education programmes in 25 sub-Saharan African countries over 4 decades found that using mother tongue as the language of instruction until at least Grade 6 produces better outcomes in both mother tongue and a second language. Conversely, children who do not develop strong literacy skills in their mother tongue struggle in all school subjects.

3. Positive peer pressure and identity drive behaviour change.
As social beings, our choices are driven in large part by our need for purpose, status, identity and belonging. Campaigns that exert positive peer pressure and model desired behaviour as something the “in-group” does are more effective at changing behaviour than providing information, training people or invoking fear.

Working in homes, schools and community spaces, Nal’ibali has partnered with state, private and civil society to create opportunities for children to fall in love with books and stories. As of June 2018, 32,6 million bilingual story supplements in eight different language editions have been distributed to a large network of reading clubs and newspapers. Over 20 000 adults have been trained on the importance of reading writing and storytelling, and inspired to take action to bring the power of stories to children in their communities. Through interpersonal engagement via a team of story sparkers and literacy mentors working in communities, we are beginning to see a community of practice emerging around reading, with some 110 000 children attending weekly reading clubs across the country.

This paper takes an honest look at Nal’ibali’s Story Powered Schools project, which is implemented at rural schools in two of South Africa’s poorest provinces, the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. “Story Powered Schools: A South African Reading Revolution” is a partnership between USAID Southern Africa, the Department of Basic Education (DBE) and the Nal’ibali Trust to develop and sustain a culture of reading for enjoyment in 720 schools over a 3-year period.

Through this project, schools are supported to:
• Use the mandatory “Drop Everything and Read” (DEAR) reading period and literacy curriculum time for reading for enjoyment and related literacy development activities;
• Establish at least three reading clubs per school, run by teachers and/or community volunteers, known as FUNda Leaders, and mentored and supported by Nal’ibali staff;
• Organise and participate in events and competitions that motivate children and teachers, including reading, storytelling, writing and spelling events;
• Participate in national Nal’ibali flagship events, including World Read Aloud Day and the national Story Bosso storytelling competition;
• Increase children’s access to books and Nal’ibali bilingual supplements, and encourage them to take books and/or supplements home;
• Engage parents and the community around the importance of reading;
• Help adults become reading role models for children.


The paper discusses the package of support, both human and material, that are required to shift ingrained teaching practices and beliefs that are barriers to children becoming readers, and to gain the critical support of the communities surrounding schools. It honestly discusses the internal and external research findings of both the successes and challenges of the initiative, and its exciting potential for scale in multilingual contexts with a deep and rich heritage of storytelling.

Author

• Jade Jacobsohn, Nal'ibali Trust