Good morning and welcome to the Friday edition of The Discourse. We're coming to you just after World Book Day, a global celebration of books and reading. But beyond the symbolism, it leaves us with a pressing question here in South Africa and across the continent: are we truly building the conditions that allow children not only to go to school, but to become confident readers who understand what they read?The latest evidence continues to point to serious gaps in early reading, with many children still struggling to reach basic reading benchmarks in the first years of school. That raises deeper issues around access to books, the language of learning, classroom support, and the broader ecosystem that supports literacy. To unpack this, we spoke to Caroline Munier, Programme Specialist in the Culture Sector at UNESCO and Thembalethu Shangase, Executive Director of Book Dash, a South African non-profit organisation.

<p>Good morning and welcome to the Friday edition of The Discourse. We're coming to you just after World Book Day, a global celebration of books and reading. But beyond the symbolism, it leaves us with a pressing question here in South Africa and across the continent: are we truly building the conditions that allow children not only to go to school, but to become confident readers who understand what they read?The latest evidence continues to point to serious gaps in early reading, with many children still struggling to reach basic reading benchmarks in the first years of school. That raises deeper issues around access to books, the language of learning, classroom support, and the broader ecosystem that supports literacy. To unpack this, we spoke to Caroline Munier, Programme Specialist in the Culture Sector at UNESCO and Thembalethu Shangase, Executive Director of Book Dash, a South African non-profit organisation.</p>