Recent University of Pretoria (UP) graduate Nomfundo Brukwe is an educator who’s on a mission to support inclusive education – which seems entirely appropriate, given the meaning of her name. 

“My name, ‘Nomfundo’ means ‘mother of education’ – that reminds me daily of my calling to nurture and support learners,” she says.

Having graduated with a master’s degree in Early Childhood Education during UP’s spring graduations, she is now training her focus on supporting dyslexic learners and creating a conducive environment for them to thrive while equipping teachers with practical tools to identify and support learners with reading difficulties. Brukwe advocates for equal opportunities for all learners, no matter the challenges they encounter.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, she taught students with learning difficulties that could not be properly identified or accommodated at the time. Through this experience, she recognised the significance of adopting inclusive methods in the classroom, sparking an interest in research that focused on supporting dyslexic learners. 

Brukwe uses the RAVE-O (Retrieval, Automaticity, Vocabulary, Engagement with Orthography) programme, which is designed to improve reading, fluency, comprehension and vocabulary for dyslexic learners. It uses structured, multi-sensory activities, integrating phonics, sight words and comprehensive strategies. In South African classrooms, RAVE-O can be implemented through small-group interventions alongside regular classroom instruction, with teachers adapting the programme in the curriculum to meet the needs of learners. 

“My goal is to generate evidence-based strategies that can be adopted nationally to improve reading fluency and comprehension among Grade 4 learners,” she explains.

Brukwe’s master’s research used the RAVE-O programme to train educators with evidence-based tools to support dyslexic learners in mainstream classrooms.

She’s also taken to social media platforms like TikTok to empower teachers to share creative strategies to support student success, and has gained recognition on TikTok among both educators and parents for her insights on classroom strategies. She advises educators to approach digital platforms deliberately, by focusing on delivering practical value and engaging realistically with their audience. 

“Social media has immense potential to improve education by making learning interactive, captivating and accessible,” she says.

In 2022, Brukwe was recognised as one of the Mail and Guardian’s 200 Young South Africans for her contributions to education. 

“Being recognised by the Mail & Guardian was incredibly humbling and motivating,” she says. 

Seeing her learners grow and gain confidence in their abilities continues to fuel Brukwe in this field. Her research on the RAVE-O programme has yielded optimistic results, and she aims to implement these findings in her doctoral studies, which, she says, she is excited to begin.