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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 ...
‘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 ...
Reading Champions shine a little light in tough Bay neighbourhood
At Dietrich Primary School in Schauderville, where cultures and languages from across Africa converge, teachers ...
‘Pupils taught in mother tongue comprehend better, are more confident’
The Eastern Cape provincial government says it is making strides in addressing literacy challenges among ...
‘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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
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 ...
WATCH | 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 ...
Improving ECD must be a national priority
SA’s failure to invest meaningfully in early childhood development is deepening the country’s literacy crisis, ...
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, ...
Despite the power of reading to unlock knowledge and opportunity, South Africa 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. It also highlights the efforts of educators, communities, and reading champions working to turn the tide. Reporting by Nomazima Nkosi Video by Hughan Milborrow Produced by Kelly Adams-Milborrow
In 2023, Phumudzo Ramakhetha took it upon himself to start compiling Tshedza English and Tshivenda dictionary, which he said was aimed at expanding young people's vocabulary. Growing up in the village of Gaba, just outside Thohoyandou in Limpopo, Phumudzo Ramakhetha knew the struggles of trying to communicate in English. #TurningThePage #LiteracyCrisisSA #Literacy
OPINION & ANALYSIS
OPINION | Time to go back to the drawing board on ...
My own assessment is that we generally don’t have a vision as a country when it comes to defining the society that we ...
OPINION | Literacy challenge for school pupils to ...
Addressing SA's literacy challenge from the early years is fundamental to improving quality and efficiency throughout ...
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 ...
OPINION | Children need rich, multifaceted teaching in their mother ...
Access to books, libraries and reading role models can transform the literacy levels of SA’s children
OPINION | Improving literacy key to breaking cycle of poverty
A report by the 2030 Reading Panel, chaired by former deputy president Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, has laid bare the ...
OPINION | A busy single mom battling with isiXhosa frets over her son’s ...
As someone who battled to converse with my peers who attended predominantly black schools and were taught in ...
A good head and good heart are always a formidable combination. But when you add to that a literate tongue or pen, then you have something very specialNelson Mandela
