ABET addresses functional illiteracy in the workplace. It is not only private companies that grapple with poor English literacy and numeracy skills among employees. Functional illiteracy is also rife in the public sector. A case in point are municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. According to a skills audit report by the Department of Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs [https://www.cogta.gov.za/], about 300 councillors cannot read or write. The South African Local Government Association (LGSETA) [https://www.salga.org.za/] is understandably very concerned about the situation.
Operating at grassroots level, municipalities are entrusted with implementing government policy and delivering essential services to their constituents. It is impossible for councillors to perform as expected if they cannot read or write. For example, how do they read policy documents for meaning and provide necessary input if they cannot read or write? There has, thus, been a breakdown of essential basic services in many of these jurisdictions in the province. The fundamental role fulfilled by municipalities is outlined in the South African constitution. Refer to https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/images/a108-96.pdf.
In 2020, the Local Government Sector Education and Training Authority released its findings into the state of skills in municipalities. Refer to LGSETA : Local Government Sector Education Training Authority – Research | LGSETA : Local Government Sector Education Training Authority. It notes that South African municipalities have not adapted to the constant changing skills requirements of local government.
Literacy and numeracy form the basis of these skills. They include networking; decision making; problem solving; and an ability to manage various types of partnerships. Moreover, municipal personnel need to be able to share and disseminate knowledge and experience. They must also have good knowledge of legislation, as well as constitutional and human rights issues. This is not to mention the importance of research and policy; financial planning and management; and information, communication and technology skills.
ABET is necessary
ABET is necessary to equip the scores of functionally illiterate South Africans with English literacy and numeracy skills. This will enable them to function effectively in a modern economy; their communities; and society at large. There are about 4-million illiterate adults in the country.
Notably, the largest number of functionally illiterate adults reside within KwaZulu-Natal. It is, therefore, no surprise that the province’s municipalities are grappling with poor literacy and numeracy skills. Over 900 000 adults living in KwaZulu-Natal have some basic reading and writing skills. However, they cannot function efficiently in a job that requires the ability to read and write fluently.
The Eastern Cape has the second-highest number of functionally illiterate adults. 567 624 adults in the province have insufficient English literacy and numeracy skills to function effectively in a modern society. Meanwhile, Limpopo is home to 508 239 functionally illiterate adults.
Below the national average of 10,5%, the illiteracy levels in Gauteng are 4,6% and in the Western Cape 6,7%. Worryingly, other provinces have illiteracy levels that are higher than the national average. For example, the North West’s is 15,8% and the Eastern Cape’s 15,05%.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization [https://www.unesco.org/en] provides a suitable definition for functional illiteracy. People are functionally illiterate when they cannot engage in activities in which literacy is required for effective functioning in their community or group. They are also unable to continue reading, writing and calculating for their own and community’s development.
ABET is geared at adults
ABET is geared at the many adults who do not complete a high school education to gain foundational skills. These include English literacy and numeracy skills, two key focus areas of AET.
The importance of adult literacy and numeracy training cannot be over emphasised in a country with such a high dropout rate.
According to Statistics SA, almost 3% of individuals who are 15 years of age dropped out of school in 2021. Meanwhile, 9% of 17-year-old South Africans left school prematurely that year. Refer to Increase in number of out-of-school children and youth in SA in 2020 | Statistics South Africa (statssa.gov.za).
Of the 1,1-million pupils who enrolled for Grade 1 in 2010, only 755 981 registered to complete a National Senior Certificate in 2022. Currently, 221 000 citizens aged between 15 and 19 and over 96 000 citizens aged 20 to 24 have not completed their schooling. Meanwhile, the majority of 20-year-olds are not in education. About 23% are attending university; TVET or other colleges. 18% are still attending high school.
ABET helps to achieve redress
ABET helps to achieve redress by equipping the many black illiterate adults with the foundational skills that they could not learn under a previous dispensation.
Functional illiteracy levels are more prevalent for black South Africans compared with that of other race groups. In 2021, the illiteracy rate for white adults was 0,1% and 11,9% for indigenous South Africans. Due to previous race-based policies, the illiteracy rate is the highest among people aged between 60 and 64 who lived through Apartheid. These individuals make up 29,2% of all functionally illiterate citizens of the country. Citizens aged between 55 and 59 years of age make up 22,9% of all functional illiterates in the country. 50- to 54-year-old South Africans constitute 16,3% of the functionally illiterate population. Of notable concern is that illiteracy levels are higher for black women. Functional illiteracy levels for women are 11,3%. This is compared to 9,6% for men. This trend is similar to other countries of the world and also stifles the economic and social progress of our women.
Younger black adults have been able to access better education since 1994. Therefore, they make up a smaller percentage of illiterate South Africans. However, many of these citizens who live in the townships, informal settlements and rural areas still struggle to access quality education. This is significantly exacerbating the illiteracy challenge with which the country grapples.
ABET hones skills
Therefore, ABET also aims to hone the English literacy and numeracy skills of South Africans who have had a poor education. AET raises their English literacy and numeracy skills to a level that is suitable for the effective functioning in our modern society. As the Department of Higher Education and Training notes, illiteracy has no room in a modern society. “We live in the age of technology and information. Furthermore, the higher number of people who have gone to school, the better the community and global competitiveness of the country”. Refer to https://www.dhet.gov.za/Planning%20Monitoring%20and%20Evaluation%20Coordination/Fact%20Sheet%20-%20Adult%20Illiteracy%20in%20South%20Africa%20-%20March%202023.pdf.
South Africa’s school system is highly polarised. 80% of the total student population comprises black South Africans who attend vastly under-resourced rural or township schools. Meanwhile, a small group of predominantly White and Indian students attend better resourced private schools. These wealthy schools are able to appoint better qualified teachers. This is compounded by the politicising of education in poor areas at the expense of learners. About 240 000 of the 390 000 primary and secondary school teachers who teach in these poor areas belong to a robust teacher’s union. It is closely affiliated with the ruling party.
Therefore, political affiliation is often given preference to skills and experience of teachers appointed to work in these areas. It is a similar scenario to what is happening in municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. People are being appointed based on their loyalty to a party instead of their ability to actually perform the job. This is at the expense of proper service delivery.
ABET to bridge the gap
Many enterprising companies use ABET to bridge the gap that exists between the skills taught at some school and those needed in the workplace. These AET programmes focus specifically on imparting English literacy and numeracy skills. Considering their importance, they are often simply referred to as “workplace literacy” by human resource practitioners.
The quality of the country’s literacy education continues to decline. South Africa ranked last out of 57 countries that were assessed in the 2021 Progress International Reading Literacy Study [https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pirls/]. The study tested the reading ability of 400 000 students globally in 2021. Illiteracy among South African children rose from 78% in 2016 to 81%.
Meanwhile, less than 30% of all matric students take maths as a subject and only half of them pass their exams. South Africa also performs poorly in the International Education Agency’s Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study. Refer to https://timssandpirls.bc.edu/timss2019/encyclopedia/pdf/South%20Africa.pdf. South African Grade 5 students scored an average of 374 for mathematics and 324 for science. This is well below the 400 “basic” threshold. Meanwhile, Grade 9 learners only scored 389 for mathematics and 370 for science. These are subjects that directly contribute to the economic growth of the country.
Importance of ABET apparent
The importance of ABET, has never been more apparent. AET is the only way in which to equip individuals who have “slipped through the cracks” with foundational English literacy and numeracy skills.
It is not to say that when employees have a matric certificate that they are able to use their English literacy and numeracy skills to function effectively. In 2018, for example, parliament was told that many members of the South African Police Service (SAPS) had poor English literacy and numeracy skills. They may hold a matric certificate. However, they cannot read and write at a level that is needed to perform their work properly. English literacy skills are particularly important to function effectively as a clerk in the SAPS. While the SAPS facilitates “functional multilingualism”, English is the only language used in the workplace.
Most of the formal documents that are used by the police are in English. The SAPS’ policy on languages is detailed in Government Gazette, 8 March 2016. Refer to National Gazette No. 39788, 08 March 2016, Vol. 609 (greengazette.co.za). The lack of English literacy skills impedes these important public servants from applying critical and holistic thinking. This is yet another example of how functional illiteracy is thwarting essential basic service delivery in the country.
ABET on the agenda
Therefore, government has placed ABET on the agenda. It wants to raise the English literacy and numeracy skills of functionally illiterate South Africans, including government workers.
The strategy is being informed by the National Development Plan 2030 and the White Paper on Post-School Education and Training. Refer to National Development Plan 2030: Our future – make it work (www.gov.za) and White Paper.indd (dhet.gov.za). It calls on Community Education and Training colleges to have a clear identity and purpose and offer a variety of courses. These range from AET to secondary and second-chance matric programmes for adults who have failed Grade 12. People who want to improve their matric results may also enrol for these courses.
This strategy will complement existing AET programmes of the private sector. They are geared at equipping employees with foundational skills. Poor communities that reside within their operational footprint are also a focus of these adult literacy and numeracy training programmes.
It is important that government strengthen its AET programmes as the private sector cannot fight high illiteracy on its own. Despite the best intentions of companies and their training providers, illiteracy levels remain high. Over the past decade, ABET programmes have reduced functional illiteracy by only 6,9 percentage points. Functional illiteracy only improved by two percentage from 2019 to 2021. Clearly, more has to be done to make a real impact on the English literacy and numeracy crisis we are facing.
ABET programmes face challenges
At present, municipal ABET programmes face many challenges that need to be addressed urgently. An in-depth study was recently undertaken into the state of AET in local government. It was commissioned by the LGSETA and the Human Sciences Research Council [Home page Home page – HSRC]. Refer to https://cdn.lgseta.co.za/resources/performance_monitoring_and_reporting_documents/AET%20Research%20Project.pdf.
Due to high levels of absenteeism, learners do not complete adult literacy and numeracy training. Facilitator absenteeism and high turnover are also a problem. It is disruptive and demotivates learners. Moreover, there is little time for training. Supervisors in municipal departments do not want to give their employees time off their work schedules to attend classes especially when emergencies arise. The location and condition of facilities are also of concern. Learners struggle to afford transport to these facilities which also do not always provide an environment that is conducive to learning and teaching.
The existing relationship between the LGSETA and municipalities also needs to be re-examined. Municipalities and their service providers struggle to accommodate the SETA’s tight timeframes. As a result, municipalities have forfeited some of the LGSETA grants for AET. In some instances, funding from LGSETA is inadequate for adult literacy and numeracy training programmes for municipal employees. Therefore, municipalities have to provide additional funding for the provision of training. It is well known that many of these operations are cash strapped. The Zululand District Municipality, for example, is on the brink of collapse.
Four levels of ABET
Individuals who complete all four levels of ABET have foundational English literacy and numeracy skills at a National Qualifications Framework level 1. This means that these foundational skills are at the same level as people who have completed Grade 9. Skills at this level are sufficient to perform general and entry-level work.
AET imparts the ability to read, write, speak and listen in ways that enable people to communicate effectively to various audiences. These are also skills that people need to make sense of the world. Reading and writing, when integrated with speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking, are valued aspects of literacy in modern life. Therefore, an appropriate definition of literacy is the ability to understand, evaluate, use and engage with written texts. This is to participate in society to achieve personal goals and ambitions and to develop knowledge and potential.
AET also teaches the numeracy skills that individuals need to think logically and critically. Individuals who have completed quality AET will be able to solve problems and make sense of numbers, time, patterns and shapes. Thus, numeracy is defined as the ability to use mathematical skills in appropriate and meaningful ways. This is to meet the varied demands of personal, study, social and work life.
Industry’s foremost ABET provider
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Companies are harnessing our AET to raise the English literacy and numeracy skills of their employees and those of affected communities.
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