This document discusses South Africa's reading crisis, where 73% of grade 4 students cannot read for meaning. It attributes this crisis to text poor environments, poor reading instruction, and wasted learning time. It also notes that digital technologies and mobile phones are increasing access to reading materials in developing countries. The document proposes that social publishers, who see books as social goods, could help address the lack of reading materials for marginalized audiences and neglected languages in South Africa through community workshops and toolkits.

2. Social PublishingChanges in Connectivity +A “Reading Crisis” +
1

3. Low reading
proficiency
among children
How well do learners in Grade 4 read in
their language of instruction?
A “Reading Crisis”

4. •Culture of reading?
•Poor Instruction?
•Wasted Learning Time?
•Text Poor Environments
Why are
children are
struggling to
read for
meaning?
A “Reading Crisis”

5. TEXT
POOR?
A “Reading Crisis”

6. South African population
broken down by home
language
73%
10%
7%
5%
3%
English
Afrikaans
IsiZulu -
IsiXhosa
Sepedi
Sesotho
Setswana
IsiNdebele
Xitsonga
Percentage income derived
by publishers from new titles
by language (print)
Percentage income derived
by publishers from new titles
by language (digital)
A Reading Materials Crisis

7. Fewer
books &
titles
available
Reduced
opportunities
for reading
Lower
demand
for books
Market to
produce
books for
marginalized
audiences is
small
Book Famine
A Reading Materials Crisis

8. Image from Reading in the Mobile Era - http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0021/002163/216359E.pdf
Changes in Connectivity
Large numbers of
people in
developing
countries read
books and stories
on inexpensive
mobile phones

9. Changes in Connectivity

10. What is Social Publishing
• Social Publishers (SP) are publishers
who create reading materials for
neglected audiences. Rather than
operate on a profit basis, such
publishers are driven by a mission.
They see their books as a social
goods, to be directed where they are
most needed.
A Reading Materials Crisis Changes in Connectivity

14. + Community of practice (Librarians)
Contextual Needs
By Derek Moore
Toolkit + Workshops
= mLiteracy
2

15. Toolkit + Workshops

16. Toolkit + Workshops

17. Toolkit + Workshops

18. Toolkit + Workshops

19. Across
Jo’burg
Audienc
e.
Toolkit + Workshops

20. Approx 200
public
librarians
Audienc
e.
Toolkit + Workshops

21. Contextual Needs

22. Contextual Needs

23. Community of Practice

24. Community of Practice

25. mliteracy
Idea 1 + Idea 2

26. Idea 1 + Idea 2 = ?

28. Credits & References
• Aitchison, J. (2018). SA's reading crisis is a 'cognitive catastrophe’. Independent Newspapers. Available:
https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/family/sas-reading-crisis-is-a-cognitive-catastrophe-13512937
• Chambers, D. (2017). 80% of Grade 4s can't read‚ literacy survey reveals. Times Live. Available:
https://www.timeslive.co.za/news/south-africa/2017-12-05-80-of-grade-4s-cant-read-literacy-survey-reveals/
• Linden, A. (2017). Study: 80% of Grade 4s in SA can’t read . The Daily Dispatch. Available:
https://www.dispatchlive.co.za/news/2017-12-06-study-80-of-grade-4s-in-sa-cant-read/
• PASA (2016) Publishing Industry Survey. http://www.publishsa.co.za/documents/industry-statistics
• Rule, P. (2017). South Africa has a reading crisis: why, and what can be done about it. The Conversation. Available:
http://theconversation.com/south-africa-has-a-reading-crisis-why-and-what-can-be-done-about-it-88711
• Shaver, Lea Bishop, Ending Book Hunger: Social Publishing and the Power of Mission-Driven Innovation (November 22, 2015).
Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law Research Paper 2015-47. Available at
SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2694318
• Spaul, N. (2017). The unfolding Reading Crisis. Available https://nicspaull.com/2017/12/05/the-unfolding-reading-crisis-the-new-
pirls-2016-results/
• Spaul, N. (2016). The Biggest Solvable Problem in SA: Reading. Available: https://nicspaull.com/2016/04/01/the-biggest-solvable-
problem-in-sa-reading/
• UNESCO (2014) Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of Mobile Reading in Developing Countries