Learning To Read With Understanding

In 2025, Phezile enrolled in the Early Grade Reading Instruction in Home Language isiZulu (EGRI) course, a professional development programme focused on reading comprehension in the foundation phase. The programme is implemented by the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Education in collaboration with the Department of Basic Education, the South African Council for Educators and VVOB. It supports teachers and school leaders through professional development and ongoing support to strengthen early grade reading instruction.  

The course changed how Phezile runs her classroom. She brings in pictures and draws her own flashcards: she'll admit she's no artist but draws them anyway. Now, learners have more room to talk, ask questions and share what they already know. "Learners now enjoy reading," she says. "They even ask when it is time to read." Sometimes Phezile steps out of the classroom and comes back to find them reading on their own.  

The change she talks about most is how she thinks about teaching. "We sometimes limit learners," she says. "But they also have knowledge. I learnt to give them space to express themselves." To date, EGRI has supported more than 12,000 teachers just like Phezile and close to 5,000 school leaders across 12 KwaZulu Natal Districts to strengthen early grade reading instruction.  

Acting Circuit Manager at Pholela CMC in the Harry Gwala District, Thembi Dlamini, sees the same challenge playing out across schools she works with. "When learners reach Grade 12 or secondary school, we see from reports and from our own observation that learners struggle to read and write," she says. "The problem lies in the foundation phase." 

Her argument is simple: strong foundations in reading support learners as they progress through school. She watched it happen. Teachers who went through professional development in EGRI began setting up reading corners. Classrooms filled up with charts and visual materials as they transformed into print rich learning environments. "There is clear improvement in classroom environments," she says. But teachers can't do it alone. Principals matter too. "Often, resistance comes from not understanding," she says. "Once principals saw the value, it became easier for teachers to participate." 

Phezile and Thembi both point to the same thing: ongoing support matters more than once-off training. For Phezile, that support comes from Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where teachers meet regularly, share challenges and learn from each other. "At first, I didn't see their importance," she says. "But now I see they are very helpful. They change how we teach." Thembi sees the same shift at district level. PLCs used to be a secondary school thing. Primary school teachers didn't engage with them much. "Now they do," she says. "And we are starting to see improvements in learner performance and teacher confidence."

The progress is there, but resources aren't. Teachers source and make their own reading materials, often spending their own money. While some resources exist, they are not always sufficient or appropriate," Thembi says. Digital tools could help. Learners respond well to technology, but most schools don't have access to the necessary devices yet. 

Phezile is three years into her teaching career. She could be standing in front of Grade 1 classrooms for years to come. What she learns now will shape how she supports every learner who passes through it. "I want my learners not only to pass," she says. "I want them to truly understand their work." 

This is one classroom, in one district. But what happens there does not end in Grade 1. A child who learns to read with understanding carries that skill into every classroom after the foundation phase. Without it, each new concept, question or lesson becomes harder to grasp.