Disparity in school children's reading skills in 11 African countries.

ABSTRACT: To promote SDG Goal 4 and "education for all", this study investigates children's basic reading skills in 11 low-income and lower-middle-income African countries, using standardized reading tests from the Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS). Research specifically examining children's reading skills and disparities across socioeconomic groups in African contexts remains scarce. This study addresses a critical knowledge gap by providing comparative evidence on reading skills disparities across diverse social backgrounds, including children with disabilities. Our study provides new evidence on the "Learning Crisis in the Global South", revealing alarmingly low levels of reading skills but with considerable variation across the 11 African countries studied. Substantial reading skills dif

SUBMITTER: Zhang H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11978002 | biostudies-literature | 2025

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature