The 3rd Interprovincial Primary Schools Reading Conference started off to a great start!
ADDG FOR CURRICULUM, TSATSI MONTSO, SIGNING THE PLEDGE IN SUPPORT OF THAROLLO
The Free State Education Department held a two-day reading conference on 16-17 October 2025 at Marematlou Institute under the theme ‘Operation Tharollo: Mobilising for Literacy Success’. The conference brought speakers from the international and national education sector to share best practices to confront literacy challenges, to ensure that every child in the Free State learns to read with understanding and confidence.
The Reading Conference serves as a call to action which focuses on empowering teachers to ensure that they teach reading and consequently understand the science of reading. The acting DDG for Curriculum Management, Tsatsi Montso provided an overview of the Free State Reading Landscape for the delegation to have an idea of how the reading proficiency stands in the province.
Addressing the delegates, MEC for Education, Dr MJ Maboya, said ” Literacy is not only a pedagogical issue but a communal matter. Out of a recognition that literacy is more than anything else but the foundation upon which a just and prosperous society can be built, the reading conference was born. Since then, this conference has evolved into a movement, one that unites teachers, researchers, funders and policymakers behind a single vision: that every child in the Free State should be able to read for meaning by the end of Grade 3. Reading is not a soft skill; it is an economic skill. When we teach a child to read for meaning, we are not only shaping their intellect, but we are also building the cognitive infrastructure of the Free State economy”.
Literacy is more than reading or writing, it unlocks opportunity. Schools must model literacy-rich culture. The evidence of that is clear with the walls of Primary Schools turned into reading walls to promote incidental reading and classrooms rich with print and reading corners to encourage reading for enjoyment.
The keynote address was done by Veveu Arruda, a professor and lawyer who also served as municipal secretary, deputy mayor, and mayor of Sobral in Brazil from 1997-2016. During his administration, the municipal school system was ranked as the best in Brazil according to the Basic Education Development Index (Ideb), achieving the country’s highest score (8.8) among more than 5,500 municipalities.
Mr. Arruda provided a global view of Education in Sobral and how they managed to reach this achievement in short, “Human beings only become 7 once in their life. I cannot do tomorrow what I am supposed to do today. The goal is for all children to be literate at the right age. Literacy is the pillar of all learning. If a child is not literate, they will not have progress in terms of moving to the next phase. Cooperation and collaboration is pertinent among all educators as well to ensure learners are taught excellently. And that is what works in Sobral. The role of executive mayor in Sobral also entails visiting schools during intervals to check what challenges learners are facing. To ensure they are always at school. Time, presence and example are what matters for a leader, to ensure you get things done”, he concluded.
The second day of the Primary Schools Reading Conference also saw the launch of Operation Tharollo. Education stakeholders such as the Provincial Schools Governing Body Council (PSGBC) and SADTU have given their thumbs up through their messages of support, for the launch of Operation Tharollo to improve the literacy and numeracy outcomes in Foundation Phase.
Various funders are working collaboratively to ensure the Free State Province is supported in this programme. Operation Tharollo is the solution to strengthening Early Childhood Development in the Province, implementing effective and ongoing training to improve teachers content knowledge and pedagogical skills, implementing stronger accountability mechanisms to ensure policies are followed and improved on, lastly, ensuring adequate funding and learning support materials to schools and teachers.
During the conference, learners from Bartimea School for the Deaf and Blind came to grace the delegation with their presence to showcase their reading proficiency. They read from braille and textbooks.
Through the Inclusive Education directorate, the expansion of access to braille, audio and large print materials and the capacitation of teachers on the implementation of screening, identification, assessment and support (SIAS) is continuing so that learners are adequately supported from Grade R, showcasing the provision of a responsive and inclusive learning environment for all learners.
