Kunyashe, a first-grade student residing in Cape Town, South Africa, is deeply dedicated to her studies. Despite the challenging living conditions in a cramped one-room shack, barely larger than a double bed, she shares this space with her mother and four siblings. At school, Kunyashe is provided with a meal, and her teacher once observed her carefully saving a portion of it for her younger brother.
This is the everyday reality for many South African children as they embark on their reading journey. However, this crucial aspect of their lives went unnoticed when, on May 16, the Department of Basic Education in the country revealed the concerning preliminary findings of the Progress in Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS 2021).
