2024 Reading Panel

Background
Report
www.readingpanel.co.za
 The former Deputy President of South Africa Dr Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka has convened the annual ‘2030 Reading
Panel’ to bring together respected South African leaders to ask:
“What needs to change for us to ensure that all children learn
to read by 2030?” The panel will meet annually until 2030.

The panel comprises the following members (listed

alphabetically): Commissioner André Gaum, Bobby Godsell,
Colin Coleman, Prof Jonathan Jansen, Noncedo Madubedube,
Jay Naidoo, Prof Njabulo Ndebele, Prof Vuyokazi Nomlomo,
Prof Sizwe Mabizela, Archbishop Thabo Makgoba, Dr Phumzile
Mlambo-Ngcuka, Hulisani Ravele, Prof Michael Sachs, Judy
Sikuza, Elinor Sisulu, and Prof Catherine Snow. More information
is available at
readingpanel.co.za

This background report was prepared by Sipumelele Lucwaba

at the request of the Chair of the 2030 Reading Panel. The
views and opinions expressed in the document are those of
the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of
individual Panel members or the sponsors of the Reading Panel.
Recommended citation: Lucwaba. S. (2024) 2024 Background
Report for the 2030 Reading Panel. Johannesburg.

- 13 February 2024

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2 Background Report
Executive Summary
1. Introduction
How many learners can read for meaning?

The release of the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) 2021 results in May
2023 revealed that 81% of South African grade 4 learners cannot read for meaning in any language.
South Africa experienced the largest declines of all countries who participated in PIRLS in both
2016 and 2021, with learners in 2021 50-60% of year of learning behind 2016’s grade 4 learners.
A comprehensive catch-up plan for 2021’s Grade 4 learners and a national-level strategic initiative
to drastically increase the number of learners who can read for meaning are alarmingly absent.
The dearth of targeted action continues to perpetuate the country’s ongoing literacy crisis, leaving
a critical need for effective measures to address and reverse this trend. There is however a new
window of opportunity in this election year for political parties and the next administration to make
decisive steps to ensure universal literacy. Since 2021, we have seen impressive moves by provincial
education MECs and their leadership teams to implement evidence-based, province-wide reading
interventions, and we implore current and future leaders to continue and build upon this important
work.

2. What can we learn from PIRLS 2021?

The number of grade 4 earners who do not possess even the most basic decoding and fluency
skills, i.e. learners who cannot read at all, has doubled from 13% in 2016 to 27% in 2021. Learner
achievement gaps also increased across socio-economic and language lines. Compared to a child
in the wealthiest 10% of schools, a child in the poorest 70% of schools was 5 times less likely
to reach the low benchmark in 2016 but was 10 times less likely to reach this benchmark in
2021. Further, the difference between learners testing in English and the lowest-achieving African
language, Setswana, was 171 points (~1,8 years of learning). Whilst there is no reason why the
system should not return to pre-COVID trajectories and show improvements in PIRLS 2026, based
on current projections, it would still take South Africa 80 years for all children to read for meaning.
Finally, the impact of COVID-19 indicates that when there is pressure on the system, the poorest
learners are those most heavily impacted. Similarly, as we move into times of increased fiscal
austerity, if we do not have guaranteed minimums in place to support reading, the learners most
impacted will be those in no-fee schools (i.e. Quintiles 1-3).

3. Institutional constraints
What is holding the education system back from improving reading outcomes?

The national reading barometer reflects a constrained reading ecosystem. The barometer illustrates
the system’s poor outcomes (low reading abilities), limitations on inputs (Learning, Teaching and
Support Materials (LTSM) and quality teacher training) and the weaknesses in the institutional

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 frameworks that should support reading. These weaknesses will only be intensified by a severely
constrained education budget. Based on the medium term expenditure framework, real spending
per learner will decrease over the period from R24 000 in 2020 to R21 635 by 2025. The
anticipated austerity budgets, compounded by the financial pressures of the 2023 wage bill (which
led to a R30 billion shortfall over the MTEF), necessitate challenging decisions about provincial
expenditure. Where these decisions are not aligned with a strong strategic framework, with obvious
priorities, there is a real risk that budget cuts or the freezing of spending will happen where the
budget line items are most fungible – LTSM and new teacher posts.

4. Proactive Provinces
Are any provinces implementing evidence-based, budgeted, province-wide interventions
to improve reading?

Between 2023 and 2024, two additional provinces have developed province-wide responses to
the reading crisis. In 2023, the Eastern Cape Department of Education (ECDoE) ring fenced R24
million to implement their new Reading Strategy. Given limited funds, they have focused on ensuring
that each learner in the foundation phase is provided with an anthology of graded readers, with
additional sets of readers delivered per class. Similar to the province’s rollout of anthologies in
2019-2020, the ECDoE has provided these to all 485 000 learners in the province at a cost of
R17 per learner. The province’s second priority is the training of all foundation phase teachers in
the teaching of reading, targeting all heads of department (HODs) in 2024. The Northern Cape
Department of Education (NCDoE), has partnered with the DBE, UNICEF and Zenex on a program
to scale-up results achieved in the Early-Grade Reading Study (EGRS). The program will be rolled
out to all schools in the province between 2024-2027, starting with Setswana Home Language (HL)
schools (2024-2025) and then Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa Home Language (2026-2027). The
program will cost R26 million in 2024 and is currently fully funded by donors.

5. Promising programs
Is there evidence of small-scale programs significantly improving reading outcomes in SA?

Broadly, interventions that have shown the largest impact on reading outcomes fall into three
categories: (1) LTSM (including workbooks with aligned quality teacher guides and graded readers),
(2) the effective use of Teaching Assistants (TAs) and (3) teacher coaching. New results from the
Funda Wande intervention (2021-2023) show large gains in the number of learners performing at
grade-level in schools utilising only materials, as well as those leveraging TAs. A recent 6-week pilot
which utilised Educator Assistants (EAs) from the Basic Education Employment Initiative (BEEI)
to build letter-sound knowledge increased the number of grade R and 1 learners performing at
grade level from 29% to 42%. Given the announcement of phase 5 of the Presidential Employment
Stimulus (PES), scaling up the lessons from both of these programs is politically and financially
viable. In phase 2, the basic education allocation (R6 billion) of the PES allocated around 8% (R460
million) of the budget for training and operations management, of which only (31%) was utilised.
This allocation dropped to round 2% (~R150 million) by phase 4, but it sill presents an opportunity

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to better utilise this budget for quality learner outcomes. We cannot afford to continue ignoring the
lessons from interventions that work as the financial cost and the cost to learners only compound.

6. Teacher retirements
What more do we know about teacher retirements?

Research analysing the teacher salary database (PERSAL) shows that 58% of Limpopo teachers
are aged 50+ in 2021 and will retire in the next 10-15 years, with similarly high percentages in the
Eastern Cape (51%) and Mpumalanga (50%). A large portion of these teachers are senior educators
which includes HODs, principals and other members of the senior management teams. This raises
concerns regarding effective succession planning and management within schools. Some of the
provinces with the highest rates of projected teacher retirements (Limpopo and Mpumalanga) also
have some of the largest class sizes in grade 3. If not managed effectively, teacher retirements
will serve to exacerbate large class sizes on top of management challenges. This is particularly
concerning in the current austerity environment as there is evidence of provinces historically freezing
the hiring of senior management posts to balance the budget.

7. The current and future administrations

Is there a new dawn ahead for reading?

The Department of Basic Education (DBE) is in the process of developing a new Reading Strategy
which seems to address some of the important improvements for which we as a sector have been
collectively advocating, for example a minimum set of LTSM in the classroom, which includes
graded readers and story books, and working with universities to improve initial teacher preparation.
However, the delays in publishing the document does begin to raise concerns around the process
underway and the extent to which it will be effectively implemented.

As we move into an election year, we need to be cognisant of the stated priorities of political
parties. This is even more important given the increased likelihood of political coalitions. At the
time of writing this report however, none of the top 3 parties (ANC, DA, EFF) had launched their
election manifestos (only ActionSA has published an education manifesto). None of these parties’
manifestos from the 2019 elections make any mention of literacy, although reading had long been
in crisis. The Reading Panel will release a supplementary report focused on political party focus
areas in basic education once the manifestos become available.

8. Recommendations for government

Is government making progress towards the 2030 goal of all children reading?

The answer is a nuanced “somewhat”. This year we have taken the decision to split some of the
recommendations between the provincial and national governments, to better acknowledge the

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 progress that has been made by some provinces. At a provincial level, there are now four provinces
- Eastern Cape, Northern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape, implementing planned and
budgeted responses to improving early grade reading outcomes. This is however in the absence of
a published and implemented national reading plan and budget.

The nascent strides made by provincial governments are important and significant, but in order
to achieve coordinated and sustained changes for the entire system, there is a need for strong
policy frameworks with interventions embedded as part of the system, with basic minimum norms
provided for in classrooms. The overall recommendations from the 2022 and 2023 reports remain.

Advisory Notes
In addition to this background report there are a number of short advisory notes in the Appendix.
The authors of these notes are listed alphabetically by surname below:

1. Ardington, C. & Makaluza, N. (2024) Results of the Funda Wande Intervention in Limpopo
(2021-2023)
2. Bohmer, B. & Wills, G. (2024) COVID-19 and increased inequality in Grade 4 reading outcomes
in South Africa.
3. Dube, A., Rudranarayan, S. and Mangele, T. (2024) Scaling Up Early Grade Reading Programs:
EGRS in the Northern Cape
4. Fleisch, B., Schoer, V., Olivier, J., Poswell, L., and Zulu, Z. Zazi iZandi: Leveraging the public
employment stimulus to lay literacy foundations in Grades R and 1.
5. Kelly, G. & Polzer-Nqwato, T. (2024) The National Reading Barometer: A Catalyst for Coordinated
Action in Addressing the Reading Crisis in South Africa
6. Sachs, M. (2024) Education and the 2023 budget
7. Tywakadi, R. (2024) Implementation of the Eastern Cape department of Education (ECDOE)
Reading Strategy
8. Wills, G. (2024) Reflections on early grade repetition in South Africa

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1. Introduction
In May 2023 PIRLS 2021 was released indicating that 81% of South African grade 4 learners
cannot read for meaning in any language. They cannot “locate and retrieve explicitly stated
information or make straightforward inferences about events and reasons for actions”. To place
this into context, this represents a decade of progress at the system-level, with learners in 2021
performing at the same level as learners in 2011. Overall children in 2021 were 50-60% of a year
of learning1, behind children in 2016 (Böhmer & Wills, 2023). South Africa also experienced the
largest decline in reading outcomes (-31 points) of all 33 countries/regions with data in 2016 and
2021.

Figure 1: % of South African learners who cannot read for meaning in any language

Whilst COVID-19 was a once-in-a-lifetime global catastrophe, and the 2021 grade 4s would have
had a large portion of their foundation phase education disrupted, most striking was that at the
time there was no plan to catch up learning losses for those learners. South Africa’s reading crisis
predates COVID-19. In the previous round of PIRLS, 78% of learners could not read for meaning.
If we had stayed on the pre-COVID trajectory, we expect that the 2021 number would have been
~73% unable to read for meaning.

The fact that the majority of learners are unable to read for meaning in any language highlights
a critical and ongoing issue in the basic education system. It’s crucial to acknowledge that the
need for catch-up programs extends far beyond just mitigating the learning losses caused by
school closures and rotational timetabling. There has been a long-standing, urgent necessity to
institutionalise and implement effective catch-up strategies and to accelerate the pace of learning
across the board. This approach is essential not just for addressing temporary setbacks caused by
the COVID-19 pandemic, but also for tackling the deeper, systemic educational challenges that have
persisted over time. As we approach an election year, a new opportunity emerges at both provincial
and national levels. This year presents a pivotal opportunity for any governing party, new or old, to
take decisive action towards achieving universal literacy for all learners. Since 2021, there has been

1 Böhmer and Wills (2023) define a year of learning in PIRLS as 55-60 PIRLS points

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 7

 a notable shift, with provincial education MECs and their leadership teams implementing evidence-
based, province-wide reading interventions. This progress sets a precedent, and it is crucial that
both current and future leaders continue and expand upon these initiatives. The upcoming election
period offers an ideal platform to reinforce and further these educational commitments, emphasising
the importance of literacy as a cornerstone of national development.

2. What can we learn from PIRLS 2021?

The percentage of grade 4 learners Figure 2: Grade 4 PIRLS reading benchmarks
who do not possess basic decoding and reached in 2016 and 2021
fluency skills doubled from 13% in 2016
to 27% in 2021. Böhmer and Wills (2023)
use a threshold of 200 PIRLS points to analyse
the performance of learners at the low end of
the distribution. This is useful given that the
majority of learners were unable to reach the
low international benchmark (400), which
limits the kinds of insights the benchmark
can provide. Böhmer and Wills estimate
that children achieving less than 200 points
possess very few foundational literacy skills. In
other words, these children are not able to read
at all. Although 200 points is not an official
benchmark, it is consistent with the doubling
of learners who did not get a single answer on
the assessment correct, which provides a solid Source: Bohmer and Wills (2023).
basis for the use of this threshold. Through an
item level analysis of items included in both 2016 and 20221, Böhmer and Wills find further sharp
increases in the number of students who did not attempt a single question (2-3 times more), or were
able to complete a single question.

Compared to a child in the wealthiest 10% of schools, a child in the poorest 70% of schools
was 5 times less likely to reach the low benchmark in 2016, but was 10 times less likely
to reach this benchmark in 2021 (Böhmer and Wills, 2023). As per figure 3 below, in 2021 only
8% of learners in the poorest 70% of schools versus 85% in the wealthiest 10% of schools were
able to reach the low international benchmark. Learners who tested in Afrikaans and English saw
no significant changes in performance, with all African languages experiencing declines, the largest
in Setswana of 86 points (~1.4 years). In 2016 the gap between the average score of learners who
tested in English and the highest performing African language learners (Sesotho/isiNdebele) was
53 points (~0.88 years) and the lowest performing (Sepedi) 96 points (~1.6 years). In 2021, this
gap almost doubled; the difference between English and the highest performing African language
(isiZulu) was 115 points (~1.9 years), and the lowest (Setswana)171 points (~2.8 years).

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 The average Setswana learner is 2.8 years behind the
average English learner

Figure 3: Proportion of students that reached the low international benchmark in 2016 and 2021 by SES of
the school

Source: Böhmer and Wills (2023)

Where we expected to be in 2021? As per figure 4 below, pre-COVID trajectories projected an

increase in the number of learners able to read for meaning by 5 percentage points between 2016
and 2021. As many commentators have already expressed, there is no reason why we should not
return to the national pre-pandemic trajectory, with the COVID shock moving through the system
with the impacted learners. Further, the Cohort that will take part in PIRLS 2026 would have started
grade R in 2022 and would not have experienced any school-related disruptions to their foundational
schooling. Based on current projections, if the system continues to improve at the pre-COVID rate,
we expect to see 31% of learners able to read for meaning when PIRLS 2026 is released. However,
and more sobering, on pre-pandemic improvement trajectories, it will still take us 80 years for all
children to read for meaning.

The impact of COVID-19 indicates that when there

is pressure on the system, the poorest learners are
those most heavily impacted. Similarly, as the country
moves into times of increased austerity, the most
impacted learners will be those in Q1-3 schools.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 9

 Figure: 4: Percentage of grade 4 learners who cannot read for meaning: past trends and possible
trajectories

The 2021 PIRLS results do not become any less relevant with learners progressing in the
system. The approximately 1-million 2021 grade 4 learners, who would now be in grade 7, remain
in the system with no indication of any additional catch-up support at scale (Hoadley, 2023). All
indications are that as they move through the system, without intentional support, they only fall
further behind (Wills et al, 2022). This is even more concerning given the number of children
who did not even possess the most basic literacy skills. Whilst we continue to acknowledge the
impact of COVID-19 on the system, we cannot limit the relevance of these results to a single cohort
of learners. It is well known that the Pandemic served only to highlight and exacerbate existing
disparities. These differences in performance between learners of different socio-economic statuses
have always existed within the education system. The impact of COVID-19 indicates that when there
is pressure on the system, the poorest learners are those most heavily impacted. Similarly, as the
country moves into times of increased austerity, the most impacted learners will be those in Q1-3
schools. The longer the government takes to prioritise budgets, to instill minimum norms in the
system for reading (LTSM, teacher training etc), the longer we leave the poorest learners vulnerable
to these shifts. We cannot continue to feign surprise at the results.

3. Institutional constraints
What is holding the sector back from improving reading outcomes?

The National Reading Barometer illustrates a constrained reading ecosystem with weak
institutional frameworks, low access to reading materials and low reading abilities: In
2023, a consortium led by Nali’Bali and the National Library Consortium released the National
Reading Barometer which measures the health of the reading ecosystem. The barometer assesses
four dimensions (1) reading ability, (2) reading material access (3) effective institutional frameworks
and (4) reading motivation and practice. The Barometer, which is endorsed by the DBE, is useful in
that it provides an objective measure towards accountability and progress in the sector.

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10 Background Report
Whilst it includes areas outside the scope of the Reading Panel, e.g. reading abilities and motivations
of adults, it provides relevant measures for early grade reading based both on learning outcomes
and strength of the system to support it. Further, we are encouraged by the collaboration with the
DBE, which exhibits a willingness for increased public accountability and measurement through
an easily accessible scorecard. As per figure 5, the results of the barometer show a picture of a
constrained sector, with a significant amount of work to be done to ensure improved reading ability.

Figure 5 summary of national reading barometer indicators

Source: Huston et al (2021), National Reading Barometer summary report

Weak policy frameworks limit SA’s ability to plan, budget or utilise effective accountability
mechanisms to support reading. In figure 6 below we illustrate the overall picture of the institutional
frameworks dimension in the pie chart. In the accompanying table we select key indicators to
highlight. Overall, only 14% of indicators are described as enabling, i.e. the required policies or
tools exist, are sufficient and effective. Based on the table below, the stark reality is that it is unclear
how much national and provinces should, and in fact do, spend on reading and other LTSM. We
believe that there can be no effective accountability without clear published policies on reading
expenditure and other basic minimums. We also note the inclusion of indicators addressing a lack
of quality initial teacher education (ITE) programs and a sufficient number of teachers produced and
absorbed by the system to meet demand. There are however, notable improvements in the system’s
ability to measure reading progress and school readiness through the development of reading
fluency benchmarks in South African languages, the early learning national assessment (ELNA),
the national systemic assessments, and the thrive by five index. The first three of these initiatives
were laudably led by the DBE. We do, however, want to highlight the lack of publicly available
reports and technical documentation on the ELNA results and the systemic assessments. These
results were to some degree made available through presentations alongside the PIRLS results in
May 2023. However, no report has since been published, with little technical detail on how the tests
were set, marked or verified, making it difficult to engage with the findings or take seriously the
DBE’s insistence that the sector rely on “culturally relevant” assessments developed locally when
the results are not available for public scrutiny.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 11

 Figure 6: Institutional framework dimension and table of select key indicators

Indicator Performance Rating

National DBE has policy framework and
capacity to hold provinces accountable Policy framework and
Emerging
for reading literacy policy directives & capacity insufficient
budget use
Provincial DoEs and Treasuries allocate
Inconsistent allocation,
and use budgets in line with policy Not yet available
use and reporting
directives that prioritise reading literacy
Provincial LTSM budgets are clearly Difficult to isolate LTSM
Not yet available
ringfenced and fully utilised budget/spend
LTSM policy is adopted and Draft done 2018, waiting
Constraining
implemented for passage of BELA

National Reading Plan is developed, MTSF in place, revised

Emerging
regularly monitored and reported on plan under development

Quality of initial teacher education

programs for teaching reading in Insufficient Constraining
African languages

Ratio of new teachers to projected

69% Constraining
teacher demand

Source: Huston et al (2021), National Reading Barometer summary report

Figure 7 below highlights key indicators in terms of reading ability. It comes as no surprise that
64% of indicators have no data available or are classified as constraining. It’s important to note that
this data would be significantly worse if we only focused on the reading ability of learners in the
foundation phase and not youth, which only include the six measures listed in figure 7, with all but
one indicator constraining or without data.

Figure 7: Reading ability dimension and table of select key indicators

Indicator Performance Rating

% of children ‘on track’ for early literacy
at age 4/5 who attend an early learning 55% Constraining
program
% point gap between Quintile 5 and
Quintile 1 and 2 children ‘on track’ for 17% Emerging
early literacy at 4/5
% of Foundation Phase learners meeting
N/A Not yet available
DBE reading literacy benchmarks
Degree of inequality in learners meeting
N/A Not yet available
DBE reading literacy benchmarks

% of Grade 4 learners who can read for

19% Constraining
meaning (and average PIRLS score)

Change in % of Grade 4 learners who

can read for meaning (and average -3 Constraining
PIRLS score)

Source: Huston et al, (2021), National Reading Barometer summary report

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Real spending per learner enrolled was more than R24 000 in 2020 but will fall to R21 635
by 2025. In February 2023, Treasury presented the 2023 budget review. In basic education, the
line items that were subjected to budget cuts in the 2023/24 year included workbooks and LTSM
(-8.9%), cash transfers to schools (-0.6%), property payments (-2.4%) and other goods and services
(-3.2%). Considering current projections, Sachs et al. (2023) indicate that all the 2023 cuts will be
reversed in the medium term2. However, in real terms, there is an anticipated decline in the total
consolidated budget throughout the period covered by the medium-term expenditure framework
(MTEF).

Figure 8: Basic education spending growth

Source: Sachs et al (2023), Austerity without consolidation

2 In an updated note, attached as advisory note 6 to this report, Sachs states that the 2024 budget tabled in November
2024 envisages even further cuts, but it will not be clear what will be implemented until the 2024 budget is tabled in February
2024 and so no further analysis has been done on it.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 13

 The new wage bill translates to a R7bn shortfall in 2023, and R30bn over the medium term.
Sachs et al suggest that the most likely outcome to fund the gap in the budget created by the
2023 wage agreement would be a combination of options: reducing teacher headcount, defunding
other line items to support compensation spending (e.g. LTSM, infrastructure, school feeding),
and increasing the education budget. It is difficult to deem decreased spending on workbooks
and other learning materials as a plausible option, given that (1) workbooks have been identified
by government as one of the key pillars in the improvements seen in learning outcomes over the
years (DBE, 2020); (2) multiple homegrown studies3 have confirmed the impact of LTSM (including
workbooks and anthologies) and their impact on improving learner reading outcomes; and (3) we
know that there are insufficient reading materials provided to learners and teachers. Although it is
uncertain how the proposed budget cuts have been implemented in practice - potentially amounting
to mere savings in areas such as workbook production - such measures do not align with the
interventions expected to improve learning outcomes.

A fact which is conceded to by National Treasury:

“Although additional funding has been provided to

implement the 2023 public-service wage agreement,
provincial education departments are constrained in
hiring additional teachers. This could lead to larger
class sizes and higher learner-teacher ratios, possibly
resulting in weaker education outcomes”
(Treasury, 2023a)

Furthermore, these cuts would contradict the DBE’s updated national reading strategy (in
development), which advocates for a minimum set of LTSM and broader access to “culturally
relevant materials”. This leads us to question the extent to which budget cut decisions are strategic,
or more reactionary, cutting items perceived to be the most fungible items on the budget. The
constrained budget will require provinces, and eventually schools, to make difficult choices, and
will derail any chances of attaining improved reading outcomes. In some ways we might already be
seeing the first signs of this. In September 2023, the ECDoE sent out circulars to schools detailing
that whilst the Norms and Standards allocation had been declared at R1 627 per learner in Q1-3
schools in 2024, they could only afford, and hence would be funding an amount of R1 231 - a cut
of 26%. Additionally, the department will retain 33,75% of every school’s funding allocation which
will go towards the “provincial national norms and standards for school funding budget”, which as
reported by the department will go towards “provision for the resourcing of curriculum and other
teaching and learning related needs for all schools” (ECDoE, 2023). This leaves schools uncertain
as to the exact nature of the provincial National Norms and Standards for School Funding (NNSSF),
what will be provided to each learner, and with 60% less funding available in 2024.

3 See 2022 and 2023 Reading Panel reports for a summary. https://www.readingpanel.co.za/resources

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14 Background Report
Closing the current budget gaps will not close the gaps in learner knowledge. The medium-
term budget statement (MTBS) tabled in November 2023 contains a note stating that additional
funds would be added to the budget in 2024 to account for the increase in the wage bill. However,
it is not clear how the entire gap will be funded in the medium term. Further, the current gap in
the budget only accounts for existing teachers and does not take into account the new teachers
that will be produced by universities and need to be absorbed by provinces. Based on provinces’
hiring practices under current budgetary conditions, where just 51% of the teachers produced in
2021 were employed (Gustafsson, 2022), it is unlikely that filling the budget gap will solve this
issue. In the same vein, consistent increases in the LTSM budget at the same rate, without some
commensurate change in strategy (either a reallocation or an effective policy driven increase in
budget) will not lead to improvements in learner outcomes.

A need for improved institutional thinking on spending “better”. To address the institutional
challenges we face, the solution does not lie in new budgets alone. A critical aspect is the system’s
approach to allocating existing funds and resources. Between 2018 and 2019 the ECDoE top
sliced a portion of the total allocation of teacher posts to provide an additional 1800 teachers
to learners in the foundation phase (Vinjevold and Mbina-Mthembu, 2023). The main criteria for
schools to receive an additional teacher was classes greater than 35. This approach is not unique
to the Eastern Cape; a similar policy was also implemented in the Western Cape in 2006. In
their paper analysing the association between class sizes and learner education (LE) ratios, Wills
(2023) finds significant differences between provinces. Therefore, the impact of using LE ratios
to manage class sizes will differ depending on the province. One of the reasons for this mis-
match is ineffective teacher utilisation and timetabling. Wills suggests that in a fiscally constrained
environment, provinces and schools will need to better manage teacher utilisation within schools
alongside policies to increase teacher allocation and address LE ratios.

In preparation for the 7th democratic administration, the national planning commission
is in the process of reviewing chapter 9 (Education) of the NDP, to develop a diagnostic
report and eventually a strategy for the years 2024-2029 to accelerate progress towards
reaching the education NDP goals. In presentations by Prof. Mary Metcalfe, current Commissioner
of Education, early grade reading and mathematics have been identified as key focus areas for
basic education. Key areas Prof Metcalfe identifies for inclusion in both provincial and national
reading and numeracy plans include: effective panning; resource alignment; monitoring, utilisation
and responsiveness to monitoring data; development of indicators to track progress; improved
institutional capacity to support teachers (curriculum, teacher development, department heads);
and a focus on initial teacher education (Metcalfe, 2023). Whilst there are various arguments to
be made on the impact of the NDP since its launch, with questions around the extent to which its
targets are realistic or reasonable, and the wanting operationalisation of plans to realise them, we
do welcome this review. The review of chapter 9 of the NDP provides an opportunity to strengthen
the institutional weaknesses noted in the national reading barometer and begin developing rigorous
plans to address reading. Placing reading as central to reaching other NDP goals also provides
renewed impetus for departments who might be part of the reading ecosystem, but do not prioritise
it in their planning e.g. the department of higher education and training.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 15

 4. Proactive Provinces
Are there any provinces implementing well thought through, province-wide interventions
to improve reading?

In the 2023 report, we highlighted two provinces implementing comprehensive reading interventions.
The Gauteng Department of Education (GDE) partnered with WordWorks to implement a Grade R
program in all schools offering Grade R in 2022-2024. The intervention includes in-person training
for teachers and subject advisors, teacher guides and other classroom resources. The total budget
is R107-million, with 80% funded by a consortium of donors (GEDT, Zenex, USAID). Similarly, the
Western Cape Education Department (WCED) has partnered with Funda Wande to implement a
Reading for Meaning program in all Afrikaans and isiXhosa schools in the province. The program
includes in-person training for teachers and subject advisors, teacher guides, learner workbooks
and graded readers. The 3-year budget is R111-million and is fully funded by the WCED. Below
we highlight two additional provinces, the Eastern Cape and the Northern Cape, whose education
departments recently developed their province-wide reading interventions. These efforts collectively
represent a significant stride towards improving literacy rates and ensuring that reading interventions
are both widespread and tailored to the specific needs of each province.

The ECDoE will again roll out 485 000 graded readers to all learners in the foundation
phase. In 2022, the Eastern Cape launched their revised reading strategy (2022-2030) and ring
fenced R24 million for its implementation. Initially, the strategy had six pillars, however, with the
development of the DBE’s national reading strategy, it has been revised to cover the same four
pillars: an enabling literacy policy environment, the provision of age appropriate LTSM, skilled
and agile teachers, and involved and engaged parents and communities. Given limited funding,
the department prioritised the printing and distribution of anthologies of graded readers to all
foundation phase learners and teacher training. All materials were printed and distributed at a cost
of R8 Million, approximately R17 per learner. A significant cost saver was the ECDoE’s strategy to
deliver the anthologies alongside the DBE rainbow workbooks, negotiating with printers to ensure
no additional costs were incurred for their delivery. A total of 1 573 teachers have been trained to
date on teaching reading, with the ECDOE prioritising HODs in 2024.

The Northern Cape department of education (NCDoE) will roll out a new iteration of the
EGRS to all foundation phase learners between 2024-2027. The NCDoE has partnered with
the DBE, Zanex and UNICEF to leverage the lessons from the Early Grade Reading Study. The
intervention will include the provision of structured lesson plans, integrated reading materials and
the coaching of foundation phase teachers. The intervention will be implemented in two phases
between 2024-2027. Phase 1 (2024-2025) will include all Gr 1-3 teachers in Setswana home
language schools and English as a first additional language. Phase 2 (2026-2027) will focus on
remaining schools in the province who have Afrikaans, English and isiXhosa as a home language. In
2024, the program will include 125 schools and 894 teachers. The total budget for the intervention
is R26 million in 2024 and is currently fully funded by the funding partners.

Reading Panel 2024

16 Background Report
The Northern Cape and Eastern Cape education departments have practiced strategic
prioritisation. Notably, both the ECDoE and the NCDoE have prioritised interventions that have
already seen success at improving learning outcomes. The EGRS remains one of the three early
grade reading interventions in South Africa that have been rigorously evaluated. Its materials-only
arm saw increases of 30% of a year of learning and the intervention employing both materials
and coaching yielded an increase of 60% of a year of learning (Cilliers et al, 2020). The Funda
Wande intervention saw increases of 60% of a year of learning after its second and third years,
and similar increases in their intervention employing both coaching and materials (Ardington,
2023). The Eastern Cape’s decisions, whilst also based on evidence, have additionally been driven
by working within budgetary constraints. A reading of their prioritisation, points to cost effective
interventions that also build on previous investments in reading. Since 2019 the Eastern Cape has
undertaken a number of initiatives to strengthen support provided to foundation phase teachers
by the department. This includes the training of subject advisors on the use of anthologies and
enrolling a cohort of subject advisors and HODs in the Rhodes advanced certificate in foundation
phase literacy teaching. In terms of evidence, when anthologies were rolled out to all foundation
phase learners in the province between 2018-2019, learner reading scores increased by 20%
(Ardington & Spaull 2022). As provinces will increasingly be faced with difficult decisions, they will
need to consider (1) which interventions are proven to have impact; (2) what is sustainable and will
reach the highest proportion of learners; and (3) how to better utilise existing resources to improve
learning outcomes.

Strategic partnerships as catalysts for change: A common thread in all provinces currently
implementing reading interventions (Gauteng, Western Cape, Eastern Cape and Northern Cape) at
scale is strategic partnerships. In the Eastern Cape, for example, the Nelson Mandela Institute and
Funda Wande have come in as expert NGO training partners to provide teacher training. Further, the
provinces worked closely with Molteno to ensure that the readers were fit for purpose. Additionally,
a key enabler for the systematic implementation of the strategy was the addition of a technical
assistant. Similarly, training and materials development partners have been key in the rollout of
Grade R in Gauteng and the Western Cape intervention. A coalition of funding partners has also
been key in unlocking the Gauteng and Northern Cape’s interventions.

Table 1: High level summary of the implementation of the Eastern Cape Reading strategy

2023/2024

Grade Gr 1-3
# Learners 485 000
# Teachers 3 825
Statistics # Schools 4363
# Subject Advisers 22
Budget (Eastern Cape) R24 million

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 17

 Training

Subject advisers All foundation phase subject advisors will attend 2 days of training focused on
phonics and 5 days of training focused on teaching reading in African languages.

Grade 1-3 teachers Each teacher receives at least 5 days of training focused on the teaching of read-
ing, phonics and handwriting

Materials

Learner-level resources Each learner received a Vula Bula anthology which they are able to take home
and each classroom receives a set of Zenex readers (Ulwazi Lwethu) or DBE
readers depending on the language.

Table 2: High level summary of the Northern Cape intervention

2024

Statistics Grade 1-3

# Learners 32 317
# Teachers 894
# Schools 125
# Subject Advisers 8
# Educator Assistants 62
Budget (Northern Cape) TBC
Budget (Donors) R26 million

Training
Subject advisers Subject Advisors will form part of the support structure that enables strengthening of teacher
and coach training. They will attend, monitor, and provide feedback during training sessions
Grade 1-3 Teachers will receive (on time) training at the beginning of each term which is equivalent to
teachers four times a year. In addition to that, teachers will also be provided with LTSM packages for
the respective term of teaching. The training will have a core focus is on various methodolo-
gies that can be used to improve Early Grade Reading in Setswana Home Language(HL) and
English First Additional Language (EFAL). This is will be covered through an array of topics
including methodologies, LTSM usage, routines and assessment. Furthermore, teachers will
also receive individual, onsite coaching support from external coaches, who will assist in
strengthening teacher’s pedagogical practices in the literacy classroom. These coaches will
visit teachers to offer them support on a weekly or biweekly basis throughout the year.
Materials
Teacher-level • Termly scripted lesson plans
resources • Termly Teacher guides- graded for Setswana (Home Language) and English Additional
Language (EFAL).

Learner-level These will differentiated by grades. However, the LTSM package will be inclusive of:
resources • Alphabet Friezes
• Phonic and conversation posters
• Flashcards (phonics, sight words and theme vocabulary words)
• Big books
• Anthologies

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18 Background Report
5. Promising Programs
Is there evidence of small-scale programs significantly improving reading outcomes in SA?

Based on current projections, the number of learners unable to read for meaning in 2026 will be
around 69%. This forecast is based on the plausible assumption that the effects of COVID-19 will
not continue to influence learners’ progress in the foundation phase and assumes that current
educational practices remain unchanged. The question however, is whether this is reasonable?
Whilst South Africa experienced significant gains in PIRLS until 2016 compared to other countries,
it is unclear whether we have reached the maximum potential for improvements, at scale. The
medium-term strategic framework includes interventions such as the “Rolling out of best practices
such as lesson plans, graded reading books, individualised coaching of teachers learnt from Early
Grade Reading Study for teaching reading and other innovations” to ensure all learners read for
meaning. The corresponding target for PIRLS 2021 of average learner performance at 355 points
is curious. The 355 points target aligns closely with expected outcomes from existing trajectories,
essentially reflecting a business-as-usual approach, without focused large-scale change, system
overhaul or focused implementation of lessons from the EGRS. We contend that at our current rate
of change and lack of implementation of evidence-based lessons at scale, the progress, whilst
commendable, tends to feel like marking time – marching in relatively the same spot without moving
forward. Below we discuss two new additional pieces of homegrown research on what works to
improve learner reading outcomes and their lessons for the system.

In 2023, Funda Wande implemented the final year of their three-year intervention in
Limpopo. The intervention included three arms (1) LTSM only, which mainly consisted of a teacher
guide and workbook, (2) Teaching assistants and LTSM, and (3) a control group. Figure 9 below
shows the performance of grade 3 learners4 in all three groups. Thirty-two percent of grade
3 learners in LTSM plus TA schools were reaching the grade level benchmark, with 25%
in LTSM-only schools and 15% in control schools. Learners in Funda Wande TA plus LTSM
schools were 125% of a year of learning ahead of learners in control schools, with learners in LTSM-
only schools 60% ahead. It should also be noted that the study includes 10 schools that received
no treatment in 2023, which means learners in these schools were able to maintain their gains.

Figure 9: Performance of learners in the Funda Wande intervention relative to Sepedi Benchmarks

4 Grade 3 learners would have been in the intervention since they were in grade 1 in 2021.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 19

 A small pilot study named Zazi iZandi used existing government educator assistants to
test the efficacy of a 6-week program in 2023 focused on ensuring all learners know
their letters by the end of grade 1. Letter sound knowledge is a fundamental skill in ensuring
increased fluency and eventually comprehension. It is well documented that children who do not
know their letters of the alphabet in grade 1 are perpetually behind and never catch up (Wills et
al, 2022). The pilot was developed and implemented by the Binding Constraints Lab, the Learning
Trust, Masinyusane and Funda Wande. It focused on 25 schools in two districts, Capricorn North
in Limpopo and Nelson Mandela Bay in the Eastern Cape. The schools in Limpopo were Sepedi
Language of Learning and Teaching (LOLT) schools and in the Eastern Cape, isiXhosa LOLT. The
focus of the pilot was to investigate whether educator assistants already part of the BEEI could
support foundation phase learners to learn their letter sounds. The EAs were trained for two days
and each TA was provided with a guide, a learner progress and attendance tracker, Vula Bula
alphabet frieze, small letter cards for card games and a board game. After 6-8 weeks (which
included interruptions from school holidays) learners in both grades and provinces had
improved by 6-7 letters, representing about a 27% improvement for Grade 1s and ~130%
for grade Rs. As per table 4 below, the number of children performing at the grade 1 benchmark
of 40 letters or more increased from 29% at baseline to 42% at endline.

Table 4: Percentage of Zazi iZandi learners with zero or at or above 40 on baseline and endline for Grade 1

Baseline Endline
# Total % # Total %
Zero Score 11 122 8.9% 8 122 6.6%

Below 40 87 122 71% 71 122 58%

40 and above 35 122 29% 51 122 42%

Using materials and TAs to accelerate gains in learner outcomes. Evidently, there are significant
changes that need to be made in the education system if we want to ensure that all learners can
read for meaning. These include, for example, improved preparation of new teachers, upskilling
the current cohort of teachers, addressing accountability, and ensuring the language policy aligns
with best practice to support learning in African languages. However, each year, new South African
research is produced on existing early grade reading interventions that show potential for change.
Broadly, those with the largest effect sizes fall into three categories: (1) LTSM, including workbooks
with aligned quality teacher guides, graded readers and training, (2) the effective use of teaching
assistants and (3) teacher coaching. The first two, LTSM and teaching assistants, are politically
appealing and, given the announcement of the extension of the presidential employment stimulus
when the MTBS was tabled in November 2023, financially plausible at scale. The DBE Rainbow
Workbooks have been universally available since 2011, with the DBE spending over R1-
billion per annum to print more than 60 million workbooks (National Treasury, 2023b).
These Workbooks have gone a long way in ensuring a minimum floor when it comes to the
equitable provision of LTSM and to some degree teaching. However, further consideration is
needed to enhance their quality and to ensure consistent support for teachers through improved
lesson plans or teacher guides. The provision of graded readers has proven to improve reading
outcomes, however, there is no minimum standard set of graded readers and supplementary reading

Reading Panel 2024

20 Background Report
materials that is required in all foundation phase classrooms. In 2019-2020, the Eastern Cape
distributed anthologies of graded readers at a cost of R15 per learner, and in 2024, will do so again
at a cost of R17 per learner. It would cost just over R50 million to make these available to all South
African learners in grades 1-35. Zazi iZandi also provides a new way to think about supplementary
materials alongside TAs - at a small group level. The Zazi iZandi team estimates the cost per EA to
provide the set of supplementary materials at between R70 and R90 per TA. Whilst we support the
need for in-depth planning to implement some of these lessons, a balance must be struck between
long-term planning and the cost of effectively ignoring the evidence and implementation lessons in
the short to medium term. The Funda Wande team estimates that 81% of the cost of delivering their
rigorous program can be borne by leveraging public employment programs like the PYEI, with the
costs of LTSM reducing by up to 40% at scale. Already, four phases of the PYEI, at a cost of R25
billion have passed, with very little targeted support and training for TAs, with the result that they
are underutilized for supporting the delivery of learning outcomes. In phase 2 of the PES, a total
of R6 billion was allocated to the PYEI, of which 8% (R460 million) was allocated to training and
operations (DBE, undated). However, only 31% of this amount was reported as spent (R140 million)
(PMG, 2022). Leaving R320 million available to provide rigorous training and materials to TAs.
Whilst operational costs include additional staff that provinces may employ to manage the program,
in practice the proportion allocated to training or other operations is at the discretion of the province.
By phase 4 the training allocation had been reduced to around 2% (~R150 million). We suspect
that this was due to conflicting interests between ensuring a large number of youth opportunities
whilst extending employment times and in response to the underspend on training (which in some
part would have been caused by onerous procurement processes). Regardless, the PYEI remains
a significant underutilized opportunity to support learning outcomes.

It is only logical that if the PYEI is to continue, we need to make the Rand stretch further and
deliberately to address both youth unemployment and foundation phase literacy and numeracy.

In phase 2, a total of R6 billion was allocated

to the PYEI, of which 8% (460 million) was
allocated to training and operations.
Only 31% of this amount was reported as
spent (R140 million). Leaving R320 million
available to provide rigorous training and
materials to TAs.

5 Calculations based on School Realities 2021.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 21

 6. Teacher retirements
What more do we know about teacher retirements?

Limpopo (58%) will be the worst affected province by teacher retirements, followed by the
Eastern Cape (51%) and Mpumalanga (50%). All three of these provinces can be classified as
rural or somewhat rural, which impacts their ability to attract and recruit the correct number of
teachers with the appropriate skillsets.

A large portion of retiring teachers are Table 5: Percentage of educators aged 50+ in 2021
senior educators which includes HODs,
principals and other members of the All Senior educators Primary
Province (HOD, Dep.Principals,
senior management teams. In five provinces, educators Principals & Other) School

the proportion of teachers that will retire is EC 51% 71% 58%

greater than 70%, most notably in Limpopo, FS 43% 65% 49%
with 81%. Whilst there is some evidence that GP 41% 65% 42%
younger teachers may have more content
KN 39% 65% 44%
knowledge than older teachers (SACMEQ,
LP 58% 81% 63%
2013), experienced teachers are key in the
running of schools and the management of MP 50% 73% 55%

learners, and this raises concerns regarding NC 43% 69% 44%

school stability and succession planning NW 47% 70 52%
within senior management teams. Principal WC 42% 73% 40%
and deputy principal positions are recruited at
the provincial level and there are often delays Source: Böhmer and Gustafsson, 2023
in finalising appointments.

The provinces with the highest teacher retirements also have some of the largest class
sizes. According to policy, the ideal maximum class size in the foundation phase is 35 learners in
grades R-4 (DBE, 2022b). However almost “70% of grade 3 learners are in class sizes greater than
35, 49% are in class sizes greater than 40, 17% are in class sizes greater than 50 and 6% are in
class sizes exceeding 60 learners” (Wills, 2023a). As per figure 10 below, in KZN, Mpumalanga,
the Free State, Limpopo and the North West, more than 50% of learners in grade 3 are in classes
larger than 40. Very large class sizes are also prevalent in Limpopo and the Eastern Cape, with
35% of learners in classes larger than 50, and 20% in classes larger than 60 in Limpopo, and 18%
in classes larger than 50 and 11% in classes larger than 60 in the Eastern Cape (Wills, 2023).
Teacher retirements will only serve to exacerbate this problem. Optimistically, we should assume
that all retiring teachers will be replaced, however, we also know that some delays in hiring are
deliberate in order to balance the budget. Whilst hiring freezes are not always widely reported,
Spaull and Ntaka (2022) use PERSAL6 data between 2011 and 2021 and find that between 2019
and 2021 there was a decline of 2,071 HOD’s and 763 Deputy Principals, indicating hiring freezes
in senior management positions.

6 PERSAL is the government’s payroll system.

Reading Panel 2024

22 Background Report
Figure 10: Percentage of learners in schools with grade 3 class sizes over 40, over 50 and over 60 by
province 2017/18

80

70
Percentage of learners

64
60
60 56
53
50
50 49 48

42
4
40
35

30 28

19
9 20
20 16
6 18
8 17
7 16
6
17
7 17
7

11 10
0
10 7 6
4
1 0 1 0 2 1 1
0
NC WC EC GT KZN MP FS LP NW National

Grade 3 class size over 40 Grade 3 class size over 50 Grade 3 class size over 60

Source: Wills (2023) South African teacher shortages as revealed through class sizes and learner-educator ratios

7. The current and future administrations

Is there a new dawn ahead for reading?

Following the release of PIRLS 2021, the DBE announced that through a process of broad
consultation it would embark on the development of a new Reading Strategy. The strategy is yet to
be published, but here is what we know:

1. There seems to have been some quality reflection

on the reasons the previous strategy did not work “We are prioritising
including implementing initiatives that showed no impact,
appropriate African
poor access to effective resources, no tracking of
progress, and weaknesses in initial teacher education Home language
and continued professional development. materials including
2. They will focus on developing an enabling policy graded readers,
environment that prioritizes African home language
decodable texts and
materials and teacher training.
3. There is an acknowledgement for the need for a core alphabet freezes. These
set of LTSM including 40 age-appropriate titles per would be systematically
learner in home language and an additional language, incorporated into LTSM
and graded readers in home languages.
provisioning”
4. The need to improve initial teacher education
programs focused on teaching reading in African
languages, with particular mention of the adoption of (DBE, 2023)
the PrimTEd Standards.

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 23

 Although the DBE has yet to complete and publish the strategy, in a presentation provided in
November 2023, they indicated that 2024 will be a year focused on advocacy and the development of
materials, with implementation beginning in 2025 on two aspects - mother tongue-based instruction
(MTBI) to be extended to grade 6 (grade 4 2025) and curriculum redesign. We could not locate
timelines for the other aspects, e.g. the delivery of a minimum set of LTSM for all learners. Whilst
we are encouraged by this development, as we largely support all current focus areas, at the time
of writing this report (January 2024), there was no official reading strategy available, with limited
information provided in presentations. Further, the two interventions prioritised, on the face of it, do
not immediately address challenges faced by learners currently in the foundation phase. Curriculum
change is a medium-term project which may not reap desired results in the short term, and the
extension of MTBI, whilst in line with new research (Mohohlwane, 2023), must be viewed against
the other systemic constraints - teacher preparation, continued professional development and weak
pedagogical knowledge. It kicks down the line interventions that are almost immediately realisable
e.g. the provision of a minimum set of materials. Such delays are even more concerning given
delays in publishing the strategy and the upcoming elections which will be a cause for distraction.

Are political parties prioritising reading?

As we head into an election year, we thought it prudent to review the manifestos of the top 5 political
parties ANC, the DA, EFF, IFP, ACTIONSA, which are projected to hold 77% of all votes in the
upcoming election (IPSOS, 2023). The analysis of manifestos is tricky as they do not include fully
developed policies. , and two parties already govern (the ANC and the DA) so where there are gaps
in their manifestos, these may be addressed where they govern. Nonetheless, the Manifestos reflect
the priorities of the political parties, and promises made to voters and the broader population. At
the time of writing this report, only one of these political parties, ActionSA, had released their 2024
Manifesto. However, a review of the 2019 Manifestos shows that none of these parties make any
mention of Reading7. This is curious as reading was already a crisis in South Africa as evidenced
by the PIRLS results in 2006, 2011 and 2016. It is concerning that a change in political party or
coalition government may yield little by way of change. The EFF for example makes reference to
basic education, but misses the mark on reading, which is worrying given that IPSOS projected
the EFF at 15% of votes. As a potential “kingmaker” in the upcoming election, their policy positions
may be a key enabler for change or stagnation. Even new political parties like RISE Mzansi have
developed a lengthy list of broad areas to be improved in basic education in their 2024 manifesto,
yet, reading is not one of them. These manifestos are increasingly important given that we may
be moving closer to coalition governments at provincial and perhaps national levels. Ensuring
that reading appears at the top of each party’s agenda, with tangible commitments will be key in
ensuring that it is not left to party politics.

The reading panel will develop a separate supplementary note once all manifestos have become
available.

7 ActionSA was only launched in 2020

Reading Panel 2024

24 Background Report
8. Recommendations for government
All the previous recommendations of the reading panel reports 2022-2023 remain unchanged.
However, given the increasing number of provinces taking the lead in developing reading strategies,
we have now separated some of the targets, where relevant, between national and provincial
government. Through this separation, we then note progress made on the recommendations, and
commend in particular the provinces that continue to develop rigorous responses to reading, and
partnering to implement evidence-based interventions at scale. We do however continue to stress
that without strong policy frameworks at a national level, and a plan to systematically address
reading for all learners, we do not believe these interventions can be sustained in the long term and
benefit all learners. Further, given the austerity climate, it is even more important to advocate for
reading to be a priority, with guaranteed minimum norms provided to learners.

Recommendation from Status Comment:

2022/3:

Measuring what matters: Minor The only national assessment is the Systemic Evaluation that was
implementing a universal progress meant to be the replacement to the Annual National Assessment
standardized assessment which was abolished in 2014. The results were presented in May
of reading at the primary 2023. However, no report has yet been published (due in 2023).
school level The Systemics are only implemented in sample of schools, every 3-4
years. It does not fulfill the function of ensuring all primary schools
focus on improving and measuring reading. We do recognise
however the efforts made in implementing the systemic evaluation
and the ELNAs.

National: Moving from No Reviewing the 2023 Medium Term Budget Policy Statement
slogans to budgets: progress (MTBPS) and the February 2023 budget shows that there are no
allocating meaningful new national budgets for reading programs or reading resources.
budgets to reading
resources and reading
interventions not only
talking about them

Provincial: Moving from Notable Four provinces are now implementing some level of reading
slogans to budgets: Progress intervention at scale. The WCED has allocated R111-million (2023-
allocating meaningful 2025) for a Foundation Phase ‘Reading for Meaning’ program.
budgets to reading The GDE has allocated R20-million to a Grade R program (2022-
resources and reading 2024), with an additional R80-million donor funding. The ECDoE
interventions not only has allocated R24-million (2023/4) to support the implementation
talking about them of their reading strategy and the NCDoE is receiving R26 million in
donor funding in 2024. This indicator will move to green once the
proportion of foundation phase served reaches 75%, given the size
of the provinces currently implementing interventions, it is closer to
29%8.

8 Calculation based on 2021 School realities

Reading Panel 2024 Background Report 25

 National: Providing a No There is still no national program to provide all schools with a
standard minimum set progress minimum set of reading resources, other than the DBE Workbook
of reading resources to program which has been in place since 2011. Additional resources
all Foundation Phase are needed to teach reading (graded readers, Big Books, Teacher
classrooms (Grade R-3) as Guides, alphabet friezes etc.). Once the Reading plan is published
a matter of urgency. and implemented, it will be possible to record progress on this
target.

Provincial: Providing a Progress The Western Cape (grade 1-3) and Gauteng (Grade R), have rolled
standard minimum set out programs reaching all Grade R (GDE) and all Grade 1 (WCED)
of reading resources to teachers. The Eastern Cape has delivered graded readers to all
all Foundation Phase Gr1-3 learners and the Northern Cape will roll out a program (2024-
classrooms (Grade R-3) as 2027) to provide teachers with lesson plans
a matter of urgency.

University audit of pre- Progress We understand that the Council on Higher Education is in the initial
service teacher education stages of conducting a review of initial teacher education programs.
programs. Full details of the review are not currently available and it is unclear
when this process will be completed.

9. References
African National Congress. (2019). 2019 Election Manifesto. Available at https://www.anc1912.org.za/wp-content/
uploads/2022/01/ANC-National-Elections-Manifesto-2019.pdf

Ardington, C. & Spaull, N. (2022) Sequenced for success: Evaluating the impact of openly licensed Vula Bula
anthologies of graded readers on early grade reading outcomes in South Africa. In Spaull, N. & Taylor, S. (eds) Early
Grade Reading and Mathematics Interventions in South Africa.

Ardington, C, (2023) Funda Wande Limpopo evaluation: second midline report. SALDRU, University of Cape Town.
Cape Town.

Böhmer, B. and Wills, G. (2023) COVID-19 and inequality in reading outcomes in South Africa: PIRLS 2016 and
2021. December 2023. Research on Socioeconomic Policy. Stellenbosch

Cilliers, J., Fleisch, B., Prinsloo, C. & Taylor, S., 2020. How to Improve Teaching Practice?: An Experimental
Comparison of Centralized Training and In-Classroom Coaching. Journal of Human Resources, 55(3).

Democratic Alliance. (2019). 2019 Election Manifesto Available at https://cdn.da.org.za/wp-content/

uploads/2019/02/22160849/A4-Manifesto-Booklet-Digital.pdff

Department of Basic Education. (2020). Action Plan to 2030. Department of Basic Education. Available at: https://
www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/Publications/Sector%20plan%202019%2015%20Sep%202020.
pdf?ver=2020-09-16-130709-860

Department of Basic Education. (2022). School Realities 2021. https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/Documents/

Reports/School%20Realities%202021.pdf

Department of Basic Education. (2023). DBE Information Sharing with Higher Education Institutions: Reading/
Language Policy. October 2023. Available at https://www.education.gov.za/DGHEIMeeting.aspx

Department of Basic Education., (2023a). Turnaround strategy for reading literacy improvement in South African
Schools: meeting with school principals. (Accessed through personal correspondence).

Department of Basic Education. (2023b). Personnel Administrative Measures (PAM). Government Gazette No. 46879.
Available at https://www.gov.za/sites/default/files/gcis_document/202209/46879gon2468.pdf

Reading Panel 2024

26 Background Report
Department of Basic education. (undated). Guidelines document for the funds allocated for Presidential Youth
Employment Intervention. Phase II: November 2021-March 2022. Accessed at https://www.education.gov.
za/Portals/0/Documents/Reports/PYEI/Phase%202/Annexure%20A%20-%20Guideline%20on%20Budget%20
Allocation%20Spending%20PYEI.pdf?ver=2022-07-05-172131-890

Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. (2021) Revised Medium Term Strategic Framework.

Eastern Cape Department of Education. (2023). Paper budget 2024/25 for norms and standards for school funding.
(obtained through personal correspondence).

Economic Freedom Front. (2019). 2019 election Manifesto Available at https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/wp-content/

uploads/2019-EFF-MANIFESTO-FINAL.pdf

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28 Background Report
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