Activations

The Right to Read Campaign hosted an activation at the Human Rights Festival at Constitution Hill, creating space for conversations on South Africa’s literacy crisis and what it will take to ensure every child can read for meaning. The activation focused on the need for binding national literacy regulations. Without clear and enforceable standards, progress remains uneven and too many learners are left behind. Festival goers engaged with the Campaign on what these regulations could look like in practice, and why they matter for classrooms across the country. These conversations are part of a broader effort to ensure reforms are shaped by the realities learners, families, and educators face every day.

The Right to Read Campaign recently joined Equal Education in the Eastern Cape for a community activation focused on South Africa’s literacy crisis and the urgent need for every child to read for meaning. The discussion also centred on the Campaign’s call for stronger national regulations. Clear, enforceable standards are essential if the system is to support consistent teaching, proper resourcing, and accountability across provinces. Parents and Equal Education members began engaging with the draft regulations and what they could look like in practice. This marks an important step in shaping reforms that reflect the realities learners and families face, and in building a shared understanding of what meaningful change requires.