The long shadow of apartheid
To understand this crisis, we must first confront our history.
Under apartheid’s Bantu Education system, black pupils, particularly in rural areas, were deliberately denied quality education.
Schools were under-resourced, teachers were underqualified and mother tongue education was politicised and poorly implemented.
Though democracy promised change, rural schools remain neglected, lacking libraries, literacy materials and trained language teachers.
The legacy of systemic neglect lives on in the crumbling infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms.
Even more damaging is the cycle it has created: teachers who were failed by the system now struggle to support the pupils they teach.
The mother tongue dilemma
IsiXhosa, like all indigenous languages, deserves to be a strong foundation for learning. While the curriculum supports home-language instruction in the foundation phase, implementation is inconsistent and under-resourced.
Many pupils speak regional dialects of isiXhosa, and these varieties differ from the standardised form used in textbooks.
At home, a child is exposed to isiXhosa that is structurally and phonetically different from what they hear in class.
Instead of recognising this as natural linguistic diversity, the education system treats it as a problem. Pupils end up being told, implicitly or explicitly, that the language they speak at home is “wrong”.
Worse still, by grade 4, pupils must abruptly switch to English as the language of learning and teaching.
This pedagogically unsound shift occurs before they’ve developed academic proficiency in either language.
Instead of building understanding, they resort to memorising and mimicking.
The English illusion
There is a dangerous assumption in many rural schools that introducing English earlier, or more aggressively, will improve literacy outcomes.
Yet, more English doesn’t help if neither pupils nor teachers understand it.
English First Additional Language (FAL) is often taught by educators who are not confident in the language themselves.
Lessons rely on rote repetition, not meaning making. There is little focus on vocabulary development, reading fluency or comprehension strategies.
English then becomes an empty ritual, not a tool for expression or exploration.
Pupils become passive receivers of language, not active users. They learn to fear reading instead of enjoying it.
The role of teachers
This is not to blame teachers, many of whom work in incredibly difficult conditions, but rather to highlight a critical system failure.
Initial teacher education programmes do not adequately prepare teachers for multilingual, rural classrooms.
Ongoing professional development is rare or irrelevant.
Many foundation phase teachers are generalists without specialised training in teaching reading, particularly in isiXhosa or English FAL.
Furthermore, large class sizes, often exceeding 40 pupils, and the absence of classroom libraries or storybooks make it almost impossible to implement effective reading instruction.
How do you teach 40 children to decode, infer, predict and reflect when you have one textbook and no space to move?
What can be done?
This crisis is not unsolvable. It only requires political will, targeted investment and a shift in mindset.
Extend and improve mother-tongue instruction
Pupils should be taught in isiXhosa as a LoLT (language of learning and teaching) for longer, ideally until grade 6, while gradually building English proficiency.
This dual-focus model works in other multilingual countries and aligns with research on language acquisition.
However, it must be supported by well-developed isiXhosa materials that reflect the dialects and realities of rural pupils.
Professionalise reading instruction
Every foundation phase teacher should be a reading specialist. This requires dedicated training on how to teach reading in both isiXhosa and English FAL.
In-service teacher support — coaching, mentoring, classroom demonstrations — should be ongoing, not a one-off workshop.
Create reading corners in all classrooms
Reading cannot flourish in a bookless environment.
The government, NGOs and publishers must work together to produce low-cost, high-interest books in isiXhosa and English. These books must be culturally relevant and linguistically accessible.
A classroom without storybooks is like a swimming pool without water.
Embrace linguistic diversity
Dialectal differences in isiXhosa should be embraced, not erased.
Teachers need training on linguistic diversity, and pupils must be encouraged to see their home language as a strength. Language is not the barrier; it is the key.
Empower parents and communities
Parents may not be able to help with English homework, but they can tell stories, sing songs and engage in isiXhosa conversations that build vocabulary and imagination.
Community radio, WhatsApp groups and community libraries can all play a role in supporting home literacy.
Reading is liberation
A child who cannot read is locked out of learning. For rural isiXhosa-speaking pupils in the Eastern Cape, the lock is not just illiteracy, it is inequality, history and neglect.
However, the key is within reach.
Reading is not a luxury, it is liberation. Until every child can read for meaning both in isiXhosa and English, and establish their own voice, our mission is not complete.
Dr Nontsikelelo Ndabeni and Dr Siziwe Dlepu are lecturers in the Department of Humanities and Creative Arts Education at Walter Sisulu University
This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan, and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation
Why can’t our children read?
Teachers failed by the system struggle to support pupils in crumbling, packed Eastern Cape schools lacking libraries and literacy material
Image: LULAMILE FENI
Thirty years into SA’s democracy, it is deeply disturbing that thousands of children in the Eastern Cape, particularly in rural communities, are still unable to read for meaning by the end of grade 4.
These are not just statistics. They are our children — brilliant, eager and full of potential — yet they are being failed by a system that was never designed with them in mind.
Most of these pupils are isiXhosa home language speakers who learn English as a first additional language at school. Yet, they are stranded between languages in which they are not being adequately taught to read.
The result? By the time they reach the intermediate phase, they are expected to “read to learn” when they haven’t even learnt to read.
The long shadow of apartheid
To understand this crisis, we must first confront our history.
Under apartheid’s Bantu Education system, black pupils, particularly in rural areas, were deliberately denied quality education.
Schools were under-resourced, teachers were underqualified and mother tongue education was politicised and poorly implemented.
Though democracy promised change, rural schools remain neglected, lacking libraries, literacy materials and trained language teachers.
The legacy of systemic neglect lives on in the crumbling infrastructure and overcrowded classrooms.
Even more damaging is the cycle it has created: teachers who were failed by the system now struggle to support the pupils they teach.
The mother tongue dilemma
IsiXhosa, like all indigenous languages, deserves to be a strong foundation for learning. While the curriculum supports home-language instruction in the foundation phase, implementation is inconsistent and under-resourced.
Many pupils speak regional dialects of isiXhosa, and these varieties differ from the standardised form used in textbooks.
At home, a child is exposed to isiXhosa that is structurally and phonetically different from what they hear in class.
Instead of recognising this as natural linguistic diversity, the education system treats it as a problem. Pupils end up being told, implicitly or explicitly, that the language they speak at home is “wrong”.
Worse still, by grade 4, pupils must abruptly switch to English as the language of learning and teaching.
This pedagogically unsound shift occurs before they’ve developed academic proficiency in either language.
Instead of building understanding, they resort to memorising and mimicking.
The English illusion
There is a dangerous assumption in many rural schools that introducing English earlier, or more aggressively, will improve literacy outcomes.
Yet, more English doesn’t help if neither pupils nor teachers understand it.
English First Additional Language (FAL) is often taught by educators who are not confident in the language themselves.
Lessons rely on rote repetition, not meaning making. There is little focus on vocabulary development, reading fluency or comprehension strategies.
English then becomes an empty ritual, not a tool for expression or exploration.
Pupils become passive receivers of language, not active users. They learn to fear reading instead of enjoying it.
The role of teachers
This is not to blame teachers, many of whom work in incredibly difficult conditions, but rather to highlight a critical system failure.
Initial teacher education programmes do not adequately prepare teachers for multilingual, rural classrooms.
Ongoing professional development is rare or irrelevant.
Many foundation phase teachers are generalists without specialised training in teaching reading, particularly in isiXhosa or English FAL.
Furthermore, large class sizes, often exceeding 40 pupils, and the absence of classroom libraries or storybooks make it almost impossible to implement effective reading instruction.
How do you teach 40 children to decode, infer, predict and reflect when you have one textbook and no space to move?
What can be done?
This crisis is not unsolvable. It only requires political will, targeted investment and a shift in mindset.
Extend and improve mother-tongue instruction
Pupils should be taught in isiXhosa as a LoLT (language of learning and teaching) for longer, ideally until grade 6, while gradually building English proficiency.
This dual-focus model works in other multilingual countries and aligns with research on language acquisition.
However, it must be supported by well-developed isiXhosa materials that reflect the dialects and realities of rural pupils.
Professionalise reading instruction
Every foundation phase teacher should be a reading specialist. This requires dedicated training on how to teach reading in both isiXhosa and English FAL.
In-service teacher support — coaching, mentoring, classroom demonstrations — should be ongoing, not a one-off workshop.
Create reading corners in all classrooms
Reading cannot flourish in a bookless environment.
The government, NGOs and publishers must work together to produce low-cost, high-interest books in isiXhosa and English. These books must be culturally relevant and linguistically accessible.
A classroom without storybooks is like a swimming pool without water.
Embrace linguistic diversity
Dialectal differences in isiXhosa should be embraced, not erased.
Teachers need training on linguistic diversity, and pupils must be encouraged to see their home language as a strength. Language is not the barrier; it is the key.
Empower parents and communities
Parents may not be able to help with English homework, but they can tell stories, sing songs and engage in isiXhosa conversations that build vocabulary and imagination.
Community radio, WhatsApp groups and community libraries can all play a role in supporting home literacy.
Reading is liberation
A child who cannot read is locked out of learning. For rural isiXhosa-speaking pupils in the Eastern Cape, the lock is not just illiteracy, it is inequality, history and neglect.
However, the key is within reach.
Reading is not a luxury, it is liberation. Until every child can read for meaning both in isiXhosa and English, and establish their own voice, our mission is not complete.
Dr Nontsikelelo Ndabeni and Dr Siziwe Dlepu are lecturers in the Department of Humanities and Creative Arts Education at Walter Sisulu University
This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan, and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation
Would you like to comment on this article?
Register (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.
Latest Videos
Most Read
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion
Opinion