SA’s literacy crisis — reading for pleasure belongs at the heart of education policy

Recently, the 2030 Reading Panel released its 2026 report on the state of reading in South Africa. At the same time, we are seeing renewed government focus on early literacy through Early Grade Reading programmes, curriculum-aligned materials updates from the Department of Basic Education, and the roll-out of structured literacy approaches in several provinces.

Together, these signal a welcome and much-needed prioritisation of reading in the education system, something many of us working in education, civil society and publishing have long worked towards.

Strong reading instruction, especially in the early grades, is essential. Children need well-supported teachers, quality materials and structured approaches that help them build foundational decoding, vocabulary and comprehension skills. Without this, too many children fall behind early and struggle to catch up.

South Africa ranks last out of 57 countries in the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (Pirls). These results, released in 2023, show that 81% of our Grade 4 learners are unable to read for meaning in any language. The findings have been well publicised and have rightly created urgency around the so-called “literacy crisis” across government, research institutions and civil society.

Still, there are concerns that current policy directions may narrow how reading is understood and how efforts to improve learning outcomes are prioritised.

Recent shifts in policy and guidance, alongside the framing emerging from the 2030 Reading Panel reports, place a strong and necessary emphasis on technical reading skills – focusing on the decoding and comprehension required to read a text and understand its message so that learning can take place.

Reading for pleasureThis approach can understate the importance of fostering a love of reading and meaningful engagement with texts. It risks ignoring the fact that motivation, interest and identity play an important role in whether children actually read. In other words, it could downplay the importance of reading for pleasure.

Reading for pleasure refers to any reading that is done by choice, and that the reader is intrinsically motivated to do. In other words, it’s reading that a person does simply because they enjoy reading.

When time for independent reading is reduced and classroom practice becomes more scripted, the joy of reading is squeezed out. Additionally, book provision is often limited to graded or instructional texts, which further deprioritises the goal of developing children into enthusiastic readers.

While these shifts are understandable in the context of a literacy crisis, they carry unintended consequences.

People and organisations working with children and schools to encourage reading for pleasure have proven time and again that children are far more likely to become confident readers when they enjoy it. When curiosity, laughter, imagination, and connection are at the heart of how we provide reading opportunities to children, they choose to read more. When they read more, their skills and prospects improve.

Reading for pleasure is not a luxury or a “nice to have”; it is essential. Research consistently shows that children who read for pleasure have stronger reading outcomes, broader vocabulary and better general knowledge. They are also more likely to develop a lasting reading habit and traits such as empathy, curiosity and openness.

In South Africa, where many children have limited access to books outside of school, this matters even more. Stats show that 43% of households with young children have no books at all, and only 16% of homes have more than five books.

This means that the only books many children encounter are tightly levelled readers or textbooks. If reading is only ever framed as a task to be completed or a skill to be assessed, we risk reinforcing the idea that reading is work, rather than something to enjoy.

Reading for pleasure does not replace structured literacy instruction; it strengthens it. It creates the conditions for meaningful, self-driven practice. It gives children access to stories that reflect their lives, languages and cultures, and it allows for choice, which is often limited in classrooms.

Reading for connectionWe have seen this in the Otto Foundation’s school library projects. When children are given access to engaging, culturally relevant books, and when adults read with them in ways that invite discussion and enjoyment, something shifts. Reading becomes less about getting the answer right and more about connection. Children ask questions. They laugh. They feel, imagine, and dream. Most importantly, they want to read again.

This kind of engagement is not separate from learning to read. It is part of how children become fluent readers and lifelong learners.

Government is already doing important work to strengthen early grade reading instruction so that every child learns to read for meaning. There are also encouraging signs of a growing recognition that reading should be a pleasurable activity.

The recently released Western Cape Department of Education’s Reading Strategy 2026-2030 encourages teachers and parents to nurture a “culture of reading”. This strategy sets objectives to develop “enthusiastic readers” and foster a love of reading, and challenges civil society and community partners to create opportunities for children to read “freely and joyfully”.

The Reading Literacy Strategy and Plan released by the Department of Basic Education in 2025 prioritises the provision of rich, relevant texts and choice in book selection. It also sends a powerful message that Basic Education Minister Siviwe Gwarube has attached herself personally to the Stories for Joy project through which the national Department of Basic Education partnered with UNICEF and Book Dash to develop a series of free downloadable storybooks available in multiple languages.

Ensuring accessEven so, policy must continue to protect space for reading for pleasure. This includes ensuring access to a wide range of appealing books, creating dedicated time in the school day for independent or shared reading, and providing practical guidance to help teachers build and sustain a culture of reading in their classrooms.

Civil society, publishers and community organisations stand ready to support this work. There is already a strong foundation to build on.

We have seen that school libraries have the potential to address many of the barriers that prevent children from reading for pleasure. In many contexts, book ownership is limited and access to safe, welcoming reading spaces is uneven.

A well-supported school library can provide what many children do not have at home: a wide choice of appealing books, opportunities to see themselves and their languages represented in stories, and a dedicated space where reading is visible, valued, and shared. Libraries create the conditions for the roots of reading for pleasure to take hold, offering choice, representation, connection and a sense of belonging that encourages children to return to books again and again.

When school libraries are intentionally developed as hubs for reading, they can also bring together teachers, families, librarians, publishers and community partners in a shared effort to nurture lifelong readers. Models that combine thoughtfully curated book collections, regular opportunities for reading and storytelling and partnerships across sectors show how collaboration can strengthen reading cultures within schools.

Building these kinds of alliances around school libraries offers a practical and sustainable way to embed reading for pleasure into everyday school life, while extending its benefits into homes and communities.

We share the vision of a nation of readers. To build it, we need both strong instruction and joyful engagement. One without the other is not enough. DM