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Textbook saga may delay plans to improve child literacy

New catalogue for grades 1-3 is expected to be based on latest research

Basic education minister Siviwe Gwarube at the Cape Town Press Club on 14 September 2026. Photo: Velani Ludidi
South African public schools may have to rely on a 15-year-old Foundation Phase textbook catalogue next year, as the rollout of new materials remains frozen.
The new catalogue for grades 1 to 3 includes maths, home language, first additional language and life skills. The textbooks and other learning materials are expected to be based on the latest research to improve literacy, in line with the National Literacy Strategy and Plan 2024–2030. More than 80% of grade 4 learners were found to be unable to read for meaning in any language in the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study.
But basic education…

Read More: Textbook saga may delay plans to improve child literacy.

Oliver Tambo served as the president of the African National Congress (ANC) from 1967 to 1991,
advocating for anti-apartheid efforts.

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