the launch of Library Bank Programme
17 April 2007
Programme director
Superintendent-General for Education, Mr Rakometsi
Members of Senior and Broad Management
Departmental Officials from Head Office
District present
Principals of schools
Educators and learners
Media representatives
Distinguished guests
Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share this momentous occasion
with you, as we launch the Library Bank Programme. We do so, convinced that
reading remains an important aspect of improving the lives of our people, young
and old in terms of acquiring knowledge to empower themselves. Reading has an
important role to play in making sure that the information revolution does not
leave our people behind. However, we are faced with a problem of shortage of
books in most of our libraries.
Ladies and gentlemen, there is empirical evidence from various studies which
in the past revealed that many of our school children could not read, write or
count at the age-appropriate level. Furthermore, hundreds of thousands of young
people do not have access to a wide range of relevant and suitable reading and
study materials, while we also have communities without libraries. So it has
been something of a challenge to find access and find appropriate books.
However, we hope this initiative will go some way towards such imbalances.
We in the Department of Education are aware of the importance of the role of
libraries in laying the foundation for independent and lifelong learning. To
ensure that our education system develops learners who will operate effectively
in today's society, which is increasingly information-rich and knowledge-based,
the school library programme should equip students with skills and an
appreciation of life-long learning. This is in line with the National
Curriculum Statement which envisages learners who are able to access,
interpret, evaluate, organise, select, produce, and communicate information
through a variety of texts, media, technologies, and contexts to meet diverse
learning needs and purposes. The same curriculum emphasises resource-based
learning which means an instructional approach used for the development of
information literacy by actively involving learners in the effective use of a
wide range of print, non print, electronic, and human resources.
Just as success in the Industrial Age depended on a school system that
taught us how to read and write, add and subtract the success of today's
learners of the Information Age depend on a school system that teaches our
learners how to manage information, utilise technologies, innovate and above
all think critically. It is impossible to acquire these skills without access
to reading and development of literacy skills. The department recognises the
critical role that school libraries play in improving learnersâ academic
achievement. Libraries, access to books and reading have a powerful influence
in stimulating interest in reading and strengthening research and critical
thinking skills. Literacy is not for fortunate few but a right for every child.
Teaching children to read is not a responsibility for a chosen few but it is
the responsibility for every teacher.
As we focus more and more on improving learners' literacy the department and
the schools themselves must look at the situation in our school libraries. We
know that adequate staff and resources improve student achievement yet we allow
our school libraries to decline and the school libraries that have been
resourced by the department are under-utilised. To ensure effective utilisation
of school libraries resources, it is the responsibility of the principal and
teachers in the school to allocate a period in the schools' timetable where
each class will be directed to school libraries resources guided by the teacher
concerned.
The department has started to advocate for donation of reading materials by
the communities, businesses that will help needy schools thus supporting the
delivery of the curriculum.
I am delighted to announce to communities and stakeholders interested in
reading, library and information services in this country that despite the
challenges facing the department and the country as a whole to redress
imbalances inherited from our past history, the department is working hard to
close the gap in the provision of school libraries through the following
efforts;
* In 2005/06 financial year, the department allocated R22 million to
establish 50 fully functioning school libraries in the five districts in the
province.
* In 2006/07 the department allocated R8 million to resource 45 school
libraries in the five districts of the province.
* For 2007/08 financial year the department has allocated R5,997,725 towards
resourcing 33 school libraries in the five districts of the province.
* Recently, on 6 March 2007, the department in conjunction with Africa and Asia
Association launched two mobile bus libraries to be based at the education
resource centres as an outreach programme to service previously disadvantaged
schools in Thabo Mofutsanyana and Motheo Education districts. Three more mobile
bus libraries will arrive towards the end of this year and will be allocated to
the three remaining districts namely, Fezile Dabi, Lejweleputswa and
Xhariep.
* The Education Library has already started extending its outreach programme to
support the mobile bus library service with resources to strengthen the
services rendered to previously disadvantaged school communities. In this
regard, the Education Library will utilise R1 575 000 to purchase relevant
resources.
Over and above the efforts that the department has expended towards
providing resources for school libraries, there remains the challenge of
ensuring effective utilisation of the available resources during learning and
teaching. The department has adequately resourced 95 school libraries in the
province. It is understood that this number is a drop in the ocean with regard
to resourcing 1 400 schools by 2010, hence this campaign of the "Library Bank",
whereby the department encourages all stakeholders and businesses to drop
unused relevant books lying in their homes and businesses to assist the
department in its strategy to resource schools to benefit learners in the Free
State.
We are aware that the management and effective utilisation of available
resources requires full time specialised personnel, ideally a teacher librarian
for each school. While deliberating about this challenge, the department
devised an interim measure as a pilot towards a strategy to assist our schools.
The strategy involves approval for the appointment of 100 information workers
or teacher librarians on a three-year contract as a support service to schools
that have space and adequate resources to develop and maintain a functioning
school library.
These information workers and teacher librarians will support the schools by
executing the following duties at least once a week per school:
* ensure that the multi-media resource centre and school library materials
are classified and catalogued for easy access and retrieval
* assist the schools with the systematic arrangement of stock thus ensure easy
retrieval of stock
* advocate the effective integration of multimedia resources into daily
classroom practice
* fostering a reading culture amongst learners and educators
* provide professional and technical guidance and support to schools towards
effective implementation of e-learning.
We hope that this day marks the beginning of our partnership with our
communities towards inculcating a culture of reading and information literacy
for the empowerment of all Free State communities.
There are many communities who either totally lack library facilities or who
have inadequate library facilities. We are calling on all our partners to
assist with further establishment of more facilities. Likewise our resources in
the libraries need to be reassessed so that they are applicable, relevant and
accessible to all. When some of these concerns are addressed, marketing the
library and information services, even with the limited resources, would be a
much easier task to achieve. I therefore call upon individuals and other
stakeholders in education to form a strong partnership with the government,
schools and other private stakeholders to donate books for our libraries. I am
calling on all communities to support the programmes of various libraries aimed
at popularising the services of and benefits of libraries in the community.
Together we can.
I thank you
Issued by: Department of Education, Free State Provincial Government
17 April 2007
Source: Free State Provincial Government (http://www.fs.gov.za)
