READ Educational Trust is a South African-based NGO that operates in the education and literacy sectors broadly, and in educator training and school resource provision specifically. Established in 1979 and funded by foreign donors and the private sector, READ works alongside the Department of Education to implement teacher training and literacy projects in schools.

The Three Principles of READ

1. Books And Training Always Go Together: South African teachers did not grow up with books so they have little experience in using books in the classroom. Training must accompany book provision to ensure that materials are correctly used. Training alone is not enough as most South African classrooms are under-resourced.

2. The Right Book, At the Right Level, At the Right Time: Rigorous and careful book selection from local and international publishers is essential. Children can only be motivated to read if the books they have access to are relevant to their environment and appropriate to their reading level.

3. Variety Encourages Reading: Exposure to a variety of texts and genres is critical to ensure that children are able to read for both pleasure and study purposes.