National Reading Programme
9 May 2006
The Royal Netherlands Embassy has donated R40-million for the National
Reading Programme. This is addition to the R15-million that the Embassy has
already donated for the Reading Programme. The Deputy Ambassador of the Royal
Netherlands, Ms Geeskelien Wolters, has made the announcement. The Minister of
Education, Ms Naledi Pandor, MP, yesterday, launched the National Reading
Programme at Izingolweni Primary School in Port Shepstone, KwaZulu-Natal.
The National Reading Programme is a book programme. It begins with three
main initiatives that will put books into schools across the length and breadth
of South Africa. The first initiative is the provision of 100 fiction books to
5 233 primary schools in quintiles one, two and three. The second initiative is
the provision of a set of 40 titles, selected from Africaâs best books of the
20th Century, to 751 Grade nine schools in similar quintiles. And the third
initiative is the provision of 30 mobile library buses for use in areas where
there are no community and public libraries.
The Japanese, non-governmental organisation, Together Asia and Africa
Association, has four mobile library units. The units have been handed-over to
the KwaZulu-Natal Provincial Education Department. These units are part of the
30 buses that will be imported by 2007 for a national roll out of the mobile
library in education service.
20 schools for the blind also received 100 books from Africaâs 100 best
books of the 20th century collection, which have been translated into
Braille.
The National Reading Programme is aimed at the following:
* Improving the reading and writing skills of learners, particularly
ensuring that they can read fluently at Grade three;
* Raise the national profile and support for reading;
* Increase the capacity of teachers to teach reading; and
* Provide sufficient reading resources to support the teaching of reading in
schools.
The Reading Programme is also a way of responding to empirical evidence from
various studies, which the Department of Education conducted in 2001 and 2004.
The studies revealed that many of our school children could not read write or
count at the age appropriate level.
Amongst those who attended the event were, the MEC for Education, in
KwaZulu-Natal, Ms Ina Cronje, prominent authors such as Dr Mongane Wally
Serote. Howard Head, the son of Bessie Head, Dr David Paton, the son of Alan
Paton and Robert Mphahlele, the son of Eâskia Mphahlele, received tokens of
appreciation from Minister Pandor on behalf of their parents for their immense
contribution to Africaâs 100 best books of the 20th century collection.
Enquiries:
Tommy Makhode
Tel: (012) 312 5538
Cell: 082 566 0446
E-mail: makhode.t@doe.gov.za
Issued by: Department of Education
9 May 2006
