Literacy crisis: 35 per cent of Grade 6 learners cannot read comprehensively, report reveals

Literacy is the key foundation for learning in all subjects, stakeholders have said, warning that thousands of learners are progressing through school without basic reading and comprehension skills.

Speaking during International Literacy Day celebrations held at Machakos Teachers College, Eunice Bahati, a teacher trainee at the college, said literacy is central to academic success and social development.

"Literacy is the key foundation in all subjects. Learners have to know how to read and comprehend so that they can do well in other subjects. It also helps develop social interactions with teachers and other people," said Bahati.

The event, organized in partnership with Mizizi Elimu Africa, an educational organization, brought together teacher trainees, tutors and literacy champions to reflect on the state of foundational learning in Kenya.

Walter Ondodi from Mizizi Elimu Africa cited a recent report by Usawa Agenda, which paints a grim picture of learning outcomes.

According to the report, 35 per cent of Grade 6 learners cannot read and comprehend a Grade 3 level English story. Nearly one in two Grade 6 learners cannot read both Grade 3 level stories and solve Grade Three level numeracy problems.

"These are not statistics, these are children. These are our children. A child who has spent time in school, progressed from one level to another and yet may struggle with one of the most basic tools for learning, the ability to read and understand," said Ondodi.

He noted that International Literacy Day is not simply a day to celebrate reading, but a day to ask the difficult question – are our children actually learning to read?

"Kenya has made significant investment in education: we have trained teachers, developed curricula, produced learning materials, strengthened our assessment through KNEC... we can evidently see that foundational literacy and numeracy across the country is not doing well," he said.

Ondodi emphasized that literacy is not a language issue, but the foundation of learning itself.

"The future may be digital but the foundation is literacy. Let us commit to identifying the problem early. Commit to ensuring that every child gets the opportunity to become a confident reader," he added.