VoxDev Development Economics S7 Ep1: How to solve the global reading crisis
Jan 7, 2026
Benjamin Piper, a development and education specialist at the Gates Foundation, dives into the critical issue of global literacy. He emphasizes that reading is foundational for learning, enabling skills like numeracy. Piper discusses how ineffective teaching methods hinder progress and outlines six core instructional areas to improve literacy. He advocates for phonics and the importance of accessible reading materials. Additionally, he highlights the benefits of teaching in children's first language and showcases successful programs that doubled literacy outcomes, urging policymakers to act.
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Reading Is The Core Of Schooling
- Learning to read is the fundamental first task of school and unlocks other subjects like math and STEM.
- Benjamin Piper argues literacy is the gateway to economic growth and high-return human capital investments.
Slow Progress But Fixable Problem
- Many countries take far longer to reach basic reading proficiency than they should.
- Piper emphasizes this is a fixable problem if evidence-based instruction is applied.
Instruction, Not Ability, Is The Blocker
- A principal cause of the literacy crisis is incorrect or inefficient instructional methods.
- The paper argues that applying evidence-based tools can dramatically solve reading deficits at scale.