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Read right: Archie Mbolekwa Primary School teacher, Hlakanipha Archie Mbolekwa Primary School teacher, Hlakanipha Gxekwa, received support from Funda Wande to implement daily phonics lessons, guided reading, and writing routines.
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Mother-tongue education is failing

The numbers tell a politically uncomfortable truth. A survey of all Grade 4 children in Makhanda’s no-fee public schools this year found that 51% of isiXhosa learners taught in…

  • Jane Viedge
  • Rod Amner
7 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
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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