The International Literacy Association recently released its 2023 list of 30 Under 30 honorees - emerging literacy leaders who are working to create positive change in the global literacy landscape—and among them is Thanduxolo Mkoyi.
Mkoyi, 29, is a Director for Eyentsatshane for the Little Ones Early Childhood Development Project, and Founder of the Masifunde-Ilwimi Language and Training Academy in Cape Town, South Africa.
Mkoyi joins a global list featuring educators, researchers, nonprofit leaders, authors, volunteers, and social entrepreneurs. Though their roles may differ, they all belong to a growing cohort of young innovators, disrupters, and visionaries in the field.
ILA’s 30 Under 30 program was launched in 2015 to spotlight rising visionaries in the literacy field who are affecting positive change in classrooms and communities. The 2023 class joins a growing cohort of education leaders. Past honorees include Akash Patel, Spanish teacher and founder of Happy World Foundation; Allister Chang, founder of Civic Suds; and Shiza Shahid, cofounder of the Malala Fund.
“Each 30 Under 30 list allows us to share the inspiring stories of educators, administrators, librarians, authors, technology experts, non-profit leaders, business leaders and advocates impacting the quality of literacy learning across the globe,” said ILA Interim Executive Director Nicola Wedderburn.
“These emerging leaders share ILA’s mission of literacy for every child, everywhere. We look forward to continuing to partner with these honorees and following their important projects and work.”
The International Literacy Association (ILA) is a professional membership organisation of literacy educators, researchers and experts spanning 112 countries. For more than 65 years, ILA has set the standard for how literacy is defined, taught and evaluated, connecting research and practice to improve the quality of literacy learning across the globe.
Through its Standards for the Preparation of Literacy Professionals, ILA provides an evidence-based benchmark for the development and evaluation of literacy professional preparation programs. ILA collaborates with partners across the world to develop, gather and disseminate high-quality resources, which include three peer-reviewed and edited journals—The Reading Teacher, Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy and Reading Research Quarterly.
Further avaialble at literacyworldwide.org.