South African stars Connie Ferguson, Bryan Habana, Proverb, Graeme Smith, Thobile Khumalo and Ntando Kunene have teamed up to support Turn On The Subtitles (TOTS), a global initiative aimed at transforming children’s literacy. Together, they are encouraging families across the country to take a small yet powerful step - turning on subtitles while their kids watch TV.
With South Africa ranked lowest in global literacy studies, and 8 out of 10 children unable to read for meaning by age 10, this initiative could be a game-changer for South Africa’s literacy levels. The solution is easy: switch on subtitles, and let children’s entertainment double as reading practice.
South African organisation Turn On The Subtitles(TOTE) was launched earlier this month to drive awareness around a simple action that can scientifically improve children’s literacy levels.
Other celebs who are also champions for the project are Thobile Khumalo, Ntando Kunene alongside international supporters Jack Black and Stephen fry.
According to a statement shared by TOTE, the organisation has joined hands with local entertainment and sports stars to champion an ambitious plan that encourages families to activate subtitles on their streaming platforms to help improve their children’s reading skills.
“Research shows that turning on subtitles while children watch TV can significantly improve their reading skills, doubling the likelihood of them becoming proficient readers.
“Platforms like Netflix and YouTube, along with many others, offer subtitles for a wide range of children's shows, providing an easy, accessible tool to improve literacy,” according to their statement.
The celebs have each committed to advocating for the enhancement of literacy through using their social media platforms to encourage parents and guardians to turn on subtitles and in turn, turn off illiteracy.
By simply activating this feature, parents can incorporate a proven, impactful method into their child’s daily entertainment, transforming screen time into an opportunity for learning and development.
Ferguson told Weekend Argus: “Problems surrounding Illiteracy are costing our economy a staggering R119 billion a year. But more than that, it’s costing our children their dreams, their opportunities, their chance at a better future. Nearly half of our primary schools have no books.”
Influencer and writer Karabo Mokoena commented : “Such a simple but impactful difference. It’s been exciting for us to watch our seven-year-old reading subtitles. She has learned so many new words from that. It could also be a bigger conversation on how parents have relinquished learning to schools and teachers. To use our homes as learning environments too. It can be as simple as turning on subtitles. Let’s normalise reading with our kids”.
Habana states: “There’s a simple, 10-second action that can change this. An action that gives parents the time to get things done, guilt-free, while helping their children practice reading. And it costs nothing.
"Because just like on the rugby field, it’s all about giving our kids the best chance to succeed".
Campaign Lead at Turn on the Subtitles, Su Little highlighted that South Africa ranks the lowest out of 57 countries in a global literacy study.
“The statistics are alarming. Out of a global children’s literacy study across 57 countries, South Africa ranked the lowest, where eight out of 10 children in our country currently can’t read for meaning in any language by age 10. Unfortunately, seven out of 10 parents or caregivers don’t or can’t help their children practice reading either.
"The Turn On The Subtitles campaign began in the UK after Covid-19 revealed the lasting impact of low literacy on children's development. The campaign offers a simple, cost-effective solution by encouraging parents to turn on subtitles at home, helping to address the literacy crisis with tools already at hand."
Media personality Proverb recommended: “Imagine this: watching just three to seven hours of subtitled TV a week could expose your child to a million words in a year. By doubling their chance of becoming a good reader, maybe we can also double the chance of increasing the matric pass rate.”