The National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT), in partnership with the DBE, held a centralised Reading Workshop with provincial and district officials, as well as representatives from Non-Governmental Organisations in the literacy space, such as Room to Read.

The workshop was held at the Southern Sun Hotel and Conference Centre in Kempton Park from 25 – 27 September 2024. Mr Enoch Rabotapi, Acting Deputy Director-General for Teacher Development, facilitated the discussions on the first day. As Heritage Month drew to a close, Mr Rabotapi highlighted the linkages between language, culture and heritage. He also reflected on the various literacy intervention strategies and programmes that are implemented in schools to improve reading outcomes. There is also a need to strengthen learners’ proficiency in African languages in Early Childhood Development Centres and in the Foundation Phase to build a solid foundation for the implementation of Mother Tongue-based Bilingual Education (MTbBE) in the Intermediate Phase.  

Dr Godwin Khosa, NECT CEO, applauded the DBE for collaborating with the NECT in the promotion of reading literacy initiatives in the Basic Education Sector, saying that education districts are the most important stakeholders tasked with ensuring that policies and strategies are implemented at classroom level. “Reading improvement requires collective efforts between the DBE and Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), and must be pioneered at district level,” elaborated Dr Khosa.

During the workshop, participants shared insights concerning the promotion of a reading culture in schools. These included Dr Mzamani Mdaka from the NECT, who presented on the Integrated District Improvement Programme (IDIP) Framework and Reading Improvement Initiative;  Ms  Keitumetse Modiba, who focused her presentation on the National Reading Literacy Strategy 2024-2030; Prof Leketi Makalela from Wits University with a presentation on Mother Tongue-based Reading Literacy; followed by Ms Catherine Ngwane, the Programme Operation Director at Room to Read, who emphasized the importance of reading partnership and collaborations; and Dr Mark Chetty who presented on Monitoring, Research, and Feedback Models and Mechanisms to Track Improvement in Teaching Reading. The topics presented during the workshop were broadly unpacked in various commissions including Commission 1, which deliberated on Teacher Development in Pedagogy for Conceptual Understanding and Assessment and Commission 2, which looked into LTSM Provisioning and the use of Manipulatives and other Teaching Reading Resources.

The workshop discussions concluded with a focus on the importance of district profiling by establishing a district baseline for Home Languages to enhance the implementation of reading plans.