Despite the power of reading to unlock knowledge and opportunity, SA continues to face a national literacy crisis.
A team of journalists from The Herald, Daily Dispatch and Sowetan dive into the challenges behind the statistics — from under-resourced schools and language barriers to the impact of poverty and technology.
We also highlight the efforts of educators, communities, and reading champions working to turn the tide.
Can SA build a culture of reading for all?
TURNING THE PAGE | A deep dive into the state of reading in SA
This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation
Despite the power of reading to unlock knowledge and opportunity, SA continues to face a national literacy crisis.
A team of journalists from The Herald, Daily Dispatch and Sowetan dive into the challenges behind the statistics — from under-resourced schools and language barriers to the impact of poverty and technology.
We also highlight the efforts of educators, communities, and reading champions working to turn the tide.
Can SA build a culture of reading for all?
UNDERSTANDING SA'S READING LANDSCAPE
“It’s obviously an inequality issue which is something we know in SA but it’s something that was very, very glaring in the work that we’ve done. But [we are] also reflecting on schools that have done well and what is it that they are doing and implementing to counter that and using those as case studies, perhaps, in finding solutions.”
— Rochelle de Kock, The Herald editor
TURNING THE PAGE | A Deep Dive into the state of Reading in South Africa Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi Video by Hughan Milborrow Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
NEWS
Swamped teachers ‘expected to perform miracles’
In a cramped classroom meant for 30 children, 70 pupils squeeze in shoulder-to-shoulder, bright-eyed and eager to learn.
‘Pupils taught in mother tongue comprehend ...
The Eastern Cape provincial government says it is making strides in addressing literacy challenges among schoolchildren ...
Reading Champions shine a little light in tough ...
At Dietrich Primary School in Schauderville, where cultures and languages from across Africa converge, teachers aren’t ...
Gqeberha NPO making a real difference — one school at a time
Masinyusane is an isiXhosa word which means “let us uplift each other”, and that is exactly what the Nelson Mandela Bay ...
Funda Ujabule leads way in foundation phase of primary education
Funda Ujabule School in Soweto has positioned itself as a leading example in the foundation phase of primary education ...
Literacy revolution took root under a tree
In the heart of rural Limpopo, under the shade of a tree in the small village of Ga-Ipate, a quiet revolution in ...
Boet Jegels primary school: Fast-growing communities pile pressure on ...
Rapidly expanding communities in Nelson Mandela Bay are placing increasing pressure on schools designed to accommodate ...
How an innovative literacy project is transforming young lives
Amid a sluggish government response, Astra Primary School started a grassroots literacy project that is transforming ...
‘I grasp concepts better in isiXhosa than in English’
Hlumelo Makunga, a 19-year-old Wits University student, is living proof that learning in one’s mother tongue can be ...
Proof is in my pupils’ results, says mother tongue learning champion
Nomakwezi “Kwesta” Dlali is not just a school principal; she is a passionate advocate for Mother Tongue-based Bilingual ...
Teachers battle the odds to boost literacy at rural Giyani school
Teachers at Vusizi Primary School in Mahlati village, Giyani, Limpopo, face many problems in their quest to improve ...
‘Focus on foundational learning or fail another generation’
A growing number of children across SA are struggling with reading and comprehension — a crisis that literacy ...
From California to an Eastern Cape village — a volunteer’s story
When California-born teacher Janet Wolfertz first arrived in the small village of Viedgesville, she turned heads. as ...
Improving ECD must be a national priority
SA’s failure to invest meaningfully in early childhood development (ECD) is deepening the country’s literacy crisis, ...
Viedgesville Primary — a little school with big dreams
“A tiny school with big dreams to improve education” is how principal Thobela Ngubentombi describes rural Viedgesville ...
Teachers can't even move in overcrowded classes
Sixty-seven pupils squeeze into a single classroom built for half that number. Huddled three to a desk or on the floor, ...
OPINION
“Investment in improving literacy in the foundation years must be a national priority. This must go beyond broad declarations of intent and be visible in evidence-based planning aligned to realistic assessments of resource needs.”
— Mary Metcalfe, University of Johannesburg education expert
Improving literacy key to breaking cycle of ...
A report by the 2030 Reading Panel, chaired by former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has laid bare the ...
Why can’t our children read?
Thirty years into SA’s democracy, it is deeply disturbing that thousands of children in the Eastern Cape, particularly ...
SIVIWE GWARUBE | Bana Pele Roadmap to ensure one-million kids access ...
The roadmap outlines four collective commitments to expand access to an additional 200,000 children per year, reaching ...
‘Teaching is breaking us’: Eastern Cape’s crisis a microcosm of national ...
When half of SA’s teachers are ready to leave the profession, not because of unruly pupils but because of toxic work ...
A busy single mom battling with isiXhosa frets over her son’s education
As someone who battled to converse with my peers who attended predominantly black schools and were taught in isiXhosa, ...
Children need rich, multifaceted teaching in their mother tongues to ...
Access to books, libraries and reading role models can transform the literacy levels of SA’s children
Improving literacy among foundation pupils must be a national priority
Addressing SA’s literacy challenge from the early years is fundamental to improving quality and efficiency throughout ...
Teachers and principals cannot fix the reading crisis on their own
It has been widely reported that SA’s grade 4 pupils cannot read with understanding in their home language and the ...
Time to go back to the drawing board on early childhood education
My own assessment is that we generally don’t have a vision as a country when it comes to defining the society that we ...
BEYOND THE PAGE
A nation at the crossroads of literacy
Fast-growing communities pile pressure on Nelson Mandela Bay schools | Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi, Video by Hughan Milborrow, Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
Swamped teachers ‘expected to perform miracles' | Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi, Video by Hughan Milborrow, Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
How an innovative literacy project is transforming young lives | Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi, Video by Hughan Milborrow, Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
Reading Champions shine a little light in tough Nelson Mandela Bay neighbourhood | Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi, Video by Hughan Milborrow, Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
This special report into the state of literacy, a collaborative effort by The Herald, Sowetan and Daily Dispatch, was made possible by the Henry Nxumalo Foundation