In this edited version of Absa Today that was transmitted on 4 February 2009, we see some of the highlights of the second THRASS Absa TalkTogether conference sponsored by Absa and held at Wits University in Johannesburg on 29 and 30 January 2009, and delegates from around southern Africa tell us how impressed they are with THRASS.  

British Educationalist Psychologist, Alan Davies, who pioneered THRASS and who is Executive Director of THRASS UK, explains the basic principles of THRASS and how children are introduced to the programme through the pictures that represent the 44 sounds of English, and that can then help them to understand many thousands of English words. 

Nicholas Young, CEO Absa Unsecured Lending and New Business, is proud to be associated with the THRASS Absa TalkTogether project, which is really making a big difference in education. The big challenge now is to increase the number of people using the programme and to increase the confidence of teachers implementing it. 

Carrie Viljoen of Kind Edward’s Preparatory School explains the importance of the THRASS picturechart. It is really accessible and the children start in Grade 0 to learn the rap and get to know the chart which is a quick, clever mind map. It’s very difficult as a teacher to choose a system that works but THRASS is workable and it enables the children to understand that there are 120 spelling choices rather than just 26. 

Eliada Gudza is also delighted to be part of the THRASS programme, implementing THRASS in three schools but soon to become five, in Zimbabwe. THRASS is changing the way teachers teach and the way children learn and everyone is having lots of fun with the SING-A-LONG music. And Bongi Mashiane from the Department of Education in Mpumalanga, also believes that THRASS is going to change the lives of learners especially in disadvantaged schools, where there are no resources.

Finally, Alexandra Frost from Usutu Forest Primary in Swaziland tells the conference how wonderful THRASS has been in Swaziland for leading learners towards literacy.