The Literacy Crisis I See Every Day as a Psychometrist

Over the past 10 months, I have had the privilege of practising as a Psychometrist in Port Elizabeth and Cape Town. In this time, I have conducted hundreds of psychoeducational assessments across diverse settings and schools.

What I have observed is concerning:

1) Children with average or even above-average cognitive ability who cannot read or write—even their own names (Ages 6 - 18).

2) Learners pushed through the system because they are only allowed to fail one grade per phase, regardless of whether they are ready for the next level.

3) Children who are ineligible for special school placement because they do not meet the criteria, yet they are completely unable to cope in mainstream classrooms.

These are not isolated incidents. This is a systemic issue, and it is failing South African children—particularly in under-resourced communities. The consequence? We are raising generations of learners (and eventually adults) who cannot fully read, write, or engage with the modern world. This doesn’t just impact their personal lives; it affects our future workforce, leadership, and the economy as a whole.

Literacy is foundational, yet in many of the cases I see, children are being failed not because of their ability, but because of systemic shortcomings:

Overcrowded classrooms

Inadequate literacy interventions

A lack of resources to identify and support learners early enough

This is not a blame game; it is a call for change. The Department of Education, schools, and communities need to work together urgently to address these gaps.