​​A Stellenbosch University (SU) PhD student has been named as one of the world's top 30 young rising leaders in the literacy field.

The 27-year-old Nangamso Mtsatse, who hails from New Brighton in Port Elizabeth, has been selected to represent SU as one of the 30 literacy global leaders under the age of 30 by the International Literacy Association (ILA).

ILA is a global advocacy and membership organisation advocating for evidence-based literacy instruction and equitable educational policies. The list recognises rising leaders in the literacy field and Mtsatse is one of 30 selected from around the world.

Mtsatse, who registered for her PhD studies at SU in 2018, says she feels humbled and thankful that she is able to contribute to and be recognised in her field of research.

“I was nominated by Prof Johannes Cronje, Dean: Faculty of Informatics and Design at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) – who I met through my involvement as an executive committee member at the Literacy Association of South Africa (LITASA). I received an email stating that I was nominated and have been shortlisted. Part of the application process required me to complete a lengthy bio about who I am and what I do in the literacy space. A few months down the line – I had even forgotten about it – I received an email saying I had been selected as one of the top 30 under 30 literacy global leaders."

Mtsatse says it was mind blowing for her as there were thousands of other applications and yet her story made the cut. She says her current work allows her to work with other young literacy leaders from across the world.

She holds a BEd degree in Human Movement Science and Sport Management as well as a BEd Honours and an MEd in Assessment and Quality Assurance from the University of Pretoria (UP).

She says her passion for improving reading in mother tongue can be supported by her current research at SU that focuses on reading literacy for African languages in the Foundation Phase.

Her research sheds light on how to teach African languages, the most effective teaching methodology to teach African languages that differs from the typical Western approach to teaching English and the quality and validity of reading assessments used for African languages.

Mtsatse also forms part of the Funda Wande team that was launched as a pilot project in three Eastern Cape districts. The programme is a teacher training and a development course that focuses on an evidence based way of teaching and reading in African languages.