MPILETSO MOTUMI
THE MORE you read, the more you know.
This is the slogan for the 2011 Readathon – and also the motto some children in Soweto have promised to live by.
Hlakaniphani Primary School was host to the 23rd annual Readathon launch yesterday. The Readathon is a yearly initiative by the Department of Education, READ Educational Trust and CNA.
“This year is different; we want the children to take charge. The impact of the readathon has been very effective. We want to promote a literate society where all can read by combining skills and the love of reading to the public,” said Bertus Matthee, national director of the READ Educational Trust.
The focus for the 2011 Readathon is to promote book clubs in South African schools.
“We are so excited about the book club as the focus is on the learner,” he said.
The book club initiative aims to get children reading beyond the walls of a classroom.
“You can read anywhere and you can read anything. By establishing book clubs, we want the idea of reading books to be a communal activity,” Matthee said.
There are 7 million South Africans who lack basic literacy skills – 29 percent of the population is illiterate.
Nationally, 23 percent of homes in the country have access to newspapers and magazines. Fifty-three percent of households have less than 10 books in their homes.
Twenty-seven percent of schools have proper resourced libraries and the pupils who don’t have any libraries come from homes that are without reading materials.
Their aim is to develop a reading culture in South Africa and to highlight the importance of literacy in the well-being of the nation.
Through the distribution of books and reading materials to more than 26 000 South African schools, the campaign reaches about 330 000 teachers and more than 13 million pupils and their families.
Hlakaniphani principal Elizabeth Phuza said: “Reading is so important, it determines the skills of a child. You can’t move without it…
“Our biggest problem, however, lies with the parents. We want to encourage them to read to their children.”
Hlubi Mboya, who has been an ambassador for the Readathon for the past three years, said: “I am a child at heart. The love for reading and writing makes dreams come true. I am very passionate about it.”