Tuesday, 8 September 2026

Only 19% of South African Grade 4 learners could read for meaning in any language in the 2021 PIRLS assessment, while Gauteng faces more than 800,000 applications for 2027 school places.

Overcrowded classrooms can prevent teachers identifying reading difficulties early; practical interventions include mixed-ability reading groups, targeted support, parental involvement and dedicated reading time at home.

Free State artisan training could help address youth unemployment and skills shortages, but speakers stressed that qualifications must lead to apprenticeships, workplace experience and actual employment.

Climate-responsive housing should be a basic design principle rather than an expensive add-on, with proper planning, drainage, building placement and stormwater runoff management protecting vulnerable communities.

Twenty-one-year-old Mamelodi barber Trenton Kwarela gave elderly residents free haircuts at an old-age home, turning his skills and spare time into a community outreach project.