JEFFREY BY, EC - According to a report in 2021, 81% of Grade 4 pupils could not read for meaning in any language.
Now, the University of Stellenbosch has found there's been an improvement, with notable gains in schools where Afrikaans or IsiXhosa are the language of learning and teaching.
READ: Number of pupils who cannot read for meaning increasing - report
It assessed the 2023 Back-on-Track Programme, which was aimed at addressing learning deficits caused by the COVID-19 pandemic over three years.
This R1.2bn initiative targeted improvements in mathematics and language in grades 4, 7, and 8.
Professor of Economics at the University of Stellenbosch, Servaas van der Berg spoke to eNCA.