The DBE hosted a Literacy Toolkit Workshop from 3 to 5 March 2026 at the Birchwood Hotel and Conference Centre in Gauteng. The workshop brought together DBE officials, Provincial Education Departments (PEDs), and literacy partners in a collective effort to strengthen implementation of the reading and literacy strategy across South Africa. The three-day engagement focused on testing and refining the Literacy Promotion Toolkit to ensure it is practical, relevant and responsive to district needs.

In her opening address, Ms Kulula Manona, Chief Director: Foundations for Learning, shared that literacy promotion is not only a system priority but also a national ambition. “Investing in the early years of a child’s life is an investment in the nation’s future. Incorporating early learning, before schooling, continues to be an important part of strengthening literacy development,” she said. Highlighting the importance of the first 1,000 days and the following 1,000 days in a child’s development, Ms Manona noted how fitting the migration of Early Childhood Development (ECD) function to the DBE was, as it has enabled a more seamless and continuous approach to literacy development from conception onwards. As literacy development is a shared responsibility, establishing a common understanding around collaboration and coordination matters becomes critical, and this is where the literacy toolkit comes in.

The Literacy Promotion Toolkit has been developed to support the sector in implementing pillar 4 of the literacy strategy by building strong local literacy ecosystems through coordinated and sustained action. It targets multiple learning environments and positions reading as a social practice that extends beyond the classroom. The toolkit recognises that children’s reading outcomes improve most effectively when the key environments in their lives, namely the home, school and community, work together to support language and literacy development. While the overall sector has different roles to play, implementation needs to be driven by the District Reading Collective (DRC) as implementers.

Importantly, the toolkit provides practical guidance, evidence-informed strategies and user-friendly planning tools to assist districts in establishing Reading Collectives. These collectives bring together families, teachers, community organisations, libraries and other stakeholders around a shared vision for reading. By fostering local ownership and coordinated action, districts are better positioned to implement sustainable and impactful literacy initiatives.

Dr Nompumelelo Nyathi-Mohohlwane, Director for Reading, explained that the workshop focused on reviewing and testing the toolkit’s eight sections. These range from clearly defining roles and responsibilities to establishing district collectives as key implementers. Participants unpacked practical strategies for use in schools, homes and communities, while identifying key enablers and potential barriers to successful implementation. The overall aim is to refine and strengthen the toolkit ahead of its public launch, ensuring it supports a coordinated and sustainable literacy promotion ecosystem that enables every child to become a confident and capable reader.

This work would not have been possible without the support and collaboration of our partners. This includes the National Education Collaboration Trust (NECT) who have supported the provision of capacity and administrative support; as well as Room to Read, Nal’ibali, A Better Africa, Funda Wande and the National Association of Social Change Entities in Education (NASCEE) who supported both the development of the toolkit and delivery of the workshop.