Many of our Delivery Partners came together to draw upon their collective learning and expertise from Africa’s largest literacy programme, Jolly Phonics. The event explored how systematic synthetic phonics can be used as a tool, both in English and the African languages, to transform Africa's reading crisis.
Over 100 delegates from 14 African countries came together in Cape Town on the 28th and 29th of August 2024. The event was vibrant, enagaging, relevant and the first of it's kind in Africa.
Speakers in various stages of implementation of Jolly Phonics shared their stories, challenges, lessons learned and ways forward. The final day ended with pledges made for the future.
The key speakers came from senior positions in Ministries of Education, Curriculum Development Institutes and acclaimed academics. Real life experiences were also shared from teachers and trainers on the ground. The Western Cape Education Department graciously took senior delegates on an exemplary school visit to showcase what can be achieved by young learners using Jolly Phonics.
The two day action packed event culminated in a colourful gala dinner. Food and music from across the African continent united all after a powerful and impactful two days.
This feedback from a delegate summarises the experience. "The summit allowed delegates from various countries to view the implementation and impact of Jolly Phonics through multiple lenses. Voices from diverse stakeholders across different levels of the education spectrum provided a comprehensive perspective, from strategic planning to classroom implementation and overall impact. Best practices, experiences, and even some of the educational challenges were openly shared. The opportunity to network with other African countries with similar contexts was a particular highlight. Thank you for creating a space for African voices to be heard."
A special thanks to our partners Universal Learning Solutions, Western Cape Education Department and Caxtons Books for all their support.
We acknowledge the generosity of Jolly Learning Ltd.
We thank all delegates who attended and all our vibrant Jolly Futures trainers who brought their energy to the event.
We are excited to see which country will host next time.