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The Western Cape Reading Strategy 2026 – 2030 was launched on 14 March 2026 with one ambition: Every child should read for meaning by age 10 by 2030. Photo: Supplied
FOUNDATION PHASE

From commitment to coherence: Reflections on the Western Cape’s reading and literacy strategy

At the launch of the Reading and Literacy Strategy 2026–30, reading was framed as fundamental to the entire schooling experience. The notion that reading is the air that we…

  • Simthembile Sibhayi
5 min read
Success story: Children in Sobral participate in reading time. Sobral has undergone a transformation from one of the poorest places in Northeast Brazil to a municipality that regularly hosts visits to schools regarded as among the best in Brazil. Photo: Centre for Reinventing Public Education
BETWEEN THE LINES SERIES

The politics of literacy

In November 2025, the R50 million Funda Uphumelele National Survey (FUNS) delivered the first comprehensive measurement of early-grade reading in all official languages. The…

  • Rod Amner
  • Lucas Nowick
8 min read
The annual competition gives learners an opportunity to work with the Constitution and questions of equality, freedom and dignity (John McCann/M&G)
DEPARTMENT OF BASIC EDUCATION S ACTION PLAN TO 2024

The true state of South Africa’s schools

South Africa has one of the most unequal school systems in the world. The gap in test scores between the top 20% and the rest is wider than in almost every other country

  • Matthew Sterne
7 min read