#WorldBookandCopyrightDay is not just about celebrating books, it's about ensuring every child has access & can read for meaning. The Right to Read calls for reading regulations that guarantee a minimum number of books for every learner. Then we can celebrate.
#ReadRight

Did you know? 81% of South Africa's Grade 4s cannot read for meaning.

Join the #RightToRead campaign to prioritise #literacy through legislation.

Follow for updates & visit the Right To Read website for more information: righttoread.org.za
#ReadRight

Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka kicks off the 2030 #ReadingPanel event, offering insights into what attendees can anticipate from Keynote Speaker, Ivo Gomes. She emphasizes the importance of collaboration and extends a warm welcome to the incoming Secretariat, Sipumelele Lucwaba.

Lindiso Funani, a school principal suggests: 'The department needs to employ additional curriculum advisors to ensure increased support to teachers and implementation.'

Kelly Long advocates for more teacher involvement in policy and these crucial regulations. Teachers' voices must be heard

'Testing needs to focus on identifying gaps and addressing them before they are insurmountable. We need to be focusing on learning and not on the teacher’s ability to move through the entire curriculum.' - Kelly Long

Kelly Long emphasises: 'Training is vital, however, it needs to be coherent and support provided for implementation. In terms of pre-service training there is a need for alignment across institutions of higher education across our country.'

Kelly Long from GADRA weighs in: 'The right to read signals a step in the right direction. Our learners and teachers need resources, resources the DBE has indicated are important but are not available in many schools.'

'These regulations are not a pie in the sky ideal. The work on nutrition made sure every learner is fed during the school day, they even managed to do this during Covid - why can’t we do this.' - Tabiso Booi

'In many instances we are provided with Texts. However, we are provided with little training on how to use them, and at times, we are trained in English to teach isiXhosa, which can be incorrectly translated, dense and irrelevant.' - Tabiso Booi

Tabiso Booi, a primary school teacher reflects on her own experience: '(1) Group guided reading is one of the best way to develop a child’s reading abilities, but we are provided with 30 minutes a day - this translates to only 3.3 minutes per week for each learner.'

'What the regulations are not: (1) A guide for best practice on how to teach reading (2) a bureaucratic nightmare, (3) a silver bullet, (4) replace all the good work that is already being done.' - Cameron McConnachie

'We believe the regulations are not contentious as many of these elements are currently included in government policy or have been in the past.' - Cameron McConnachie

'These regulations must define the state's obligations in terms of – teaching time, teacher training, quality materials, and literacy testing to ensure that learners can read for meaning by age 10.' - Cameron McConnachie

'We urgently need reading regulations which are (1) clear, (2) enforceable and (3) measurable which will result in strong accountability mechanisms.' - Cameron McConnachie

'South Africa has many campaigns, policies and strategies focused on reading, but they have not been able to chart a clear pathway to address the literacy crisis.' - Cameron McConnchie

'On top of our learners inability to read for meaning, recent data from the national reading barometer also shows that we have weak institutional frameworks to monitor reading, implementation and expenditure. Which means very little accountability measures.' - Cameron

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Cameron McConnachie from Legal Resources Centre providing an overview on the reading statistics that outline the need for the Right to Read campaign.

Professor Mabizela's commitment: 'I pledge myself and Rhodes University to lift the standard of education and every individual in this city.'
#RightToRead_

'I hope that the work of the Right 2 Read Campaign and the development of reading regulations will be considered, meaningful, and build on the work that so many other organisations have done in this space.' - Professor Mabizela

#RightToRead