Today, as the world marks International Literacy Day, South Africa is being forced to confront a difficult question: what does it mean to have millions of children in school, but still have far too many struggling to read and understand what they are reading? Literacy is more than recognising words on a page—it is the foundation upon which education, employment, economic participation and social mobility are built. Yet South Africa's reading crisis has repeatedly raised alarm, particularly following the PIRLS 2021 results, which highlighted the serious learning challenges facing the country's children. On International Literacy Day, the conversation is therefore not simply about celebrating the ability to read and write, but about confronting the consequences of a generation that may move through the education system without acquiring the foundational skills needed to succeed in school, the workplace and an increasingly digital world. Government literacy programmes, including adult education initiatives such as Kha Ri Gude, have attempted to widen access, but the challenge remains enormous.