Research highlights educational progress

NEW research from education nonprofit Funda Wande, in partnership with the Limpopo Department of Education, reveals significant improvements in literacy and numeracy skills among Foundation Phase learners across 30 schools in Limpopo province.

- STAFF REPORTER

The findings, presented at the Fusion Boutique Hotel in Polokwane, demonstrate measurable progress in early grade reading and math skills, marking a key milestone in addressing South Africa’s learning crisis.

The midline study highlights substantial literacy gains, including improved letter sound recognition, word reading fluency, and oral reading comprehension across participating schools. Foundational literacy skills were shown to strengthen notably between Grade R and Grade 2 learners.

On the numeracy front, the study shows that number recognition attempts increased from 13.29 to 17.54 items per minute in the Grade 1-2 cohort, while Grade R to Grade 1 learners improved from 5.38 to 7.68 correct numbers per minute. Additionally, pattern recognition, basic arithmetic, and fluency in addition and subtraction improved consistently across cohorts.