Globally, 64% of 10-year-olds cannot read for meaning
Globally, 64% of 10-year-olds cannot read for meaning in any language. In low and middle-income countries (LMICs), this figure rises to 70%, while in sub-Saharan Africa, it soars to 89%.
These are the startling findings from a new 2022 report focusing on learning outcomes around
the world.
Children who do not learn to read for meaning will struggle to learn anything else.
At a national level, this means worse health outcomes, greater youth unemployment and
deeper levels of poverty.
With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PAL Network is hosting a series of regional dialogues to improve the salience of foundational literacy and numeracy in education policy and strategy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The dialogues bring together three regional
intergovernmental organisations: the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). The dialogues also aim to advocate for more investment in FLN across regional bodies and
member states.