The first in a two-volume set of selected papers presented at the 3rd Pan-African Conference on Reading for All, in Kampala, Uganda. This volume considers literacy within the formal education system in Africa, bringing international perspectives to the topic. It documents programs that are working to improve practices and the teaching of reading in schools and literacy in more than one language, presenting case studies from Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Nigeria. It addresses the subject of developing culturally appropriate educational and literacy materials, particularly in African languages. The final section considers more esoteric debates about cultural barriers to reading and the development of a reading culture, and the cultural differences in reading and interpretation of literary texts.