Writing Project launch, Dr Mathole Motshekga Primary School, Johannesburg
10 September 2007
Programme Director
Deputy Chief of Mission of the United States of America, Donald G
Teitelbaum
Interim Provost, Vice President for Academic Affairs, and the Ronald K Blumberg
Professor of Architecture, Mr Julius Gribou
Executive Director of the Kara Heritage Institute, Dr Mathole Motshekga
Ithuba Instructional Design Team Leader, Professor James Hoffman
Ithuba Programme Director, Dr Misty Sailors
MECs of Education
Honourable guests
Principal of Dr Motshekga Primary school
Good morning. It is a pleasure to be with you today.
I would like to start by thanking my colleague, MEC Angie Motshekga, and the
management of the school, for hosting today's launch of the Ithuba Writing
Project.
I would also like to thank the Deputy Chief Mission, for being present and
also for handing over to me this beautiful set of exciting Ithuba
storybooks.
I accept these books on behalf of all South Africans who are celebrating
Literacy Month.
As you may know, 8 September was the International Literacy day. It is a day
set aside by United Nation Education Science and Cultural Organisation (Unesco)
to give hope to the millions of women, men and children who cannot read or
write.
It is a reminder to the world about the importance of literacy for
individuals, families, and whole societies.
A recent survey, conducted by the South African Book Development Council
(SABDC), National Survey into the Reading and a Book Reading Behaviour of South
Africans, 2007 shows that we are not a book-reading nation, that there are not
many books in the majority of our households.
Only one in seven South Africans reads books.
The survey also shows that books are not popular with leisure readers; most
of us read newspapers and magazines.
This is a challenge for us in education, because we know that reading (and
reading books in particular) is critical for learning.
It is a concern to all of us that the majority of South African children are
poor readers, that most read at levels that are well below the age-appropriate
level.
Our collaboration with the United States's Africa Education Initiative (AEI)
is a collaboration to improve the reading abilities of all our children.
The collaboration extends to the development and publication of textbooks
and educational materials for primary school learners in mathematics, science,
language arts and reading.
Today, we are here to launch the Ithuba Writing Project, ithuba means
"opportunity" in IsiZulu.
The learning materials developed through Ithuba consist of text collections
in three Learning Areas: Life Orientation, Mathematics and Natural Sciences.
These books are written by teachers in all eleven home languages, but with a
particular focus on the four most marginalised languages: SiSwati, IsiNdebele,
Tshivenda and Xitsonga.
Ithuba assists us in responding to a vital need; and that is to supply our
schools with books in all our official languages so as to strengthen the use of
those languages that have been neglected or marginalised in the past.
My provincial colleagues and I are committed to encouraging the use of home
or indigenous languages in schools in the foundation phase.
I invite you to take a look at some of the projects that are displayed here
today. These projects are part of our multi-pronged reading strategy:
* In the past three years we have provided over 10 000 primary schools with
exciting storybooks, written in all official languages of South Africa as a
move towards establishing classroom libraries.
* The "Drop all and Read" campaign, which was launched on 18 January 2007,
welcomes grades R and 1 learners into education through books. The books are
handed over in branded bags. At the heart of the campaign is the belief that in
our homes and in our schools we must create spaces for our children to pick up
books to read for enjoyment.
* A number of schools have been supplied with reference materials, which have
included multilingual dictionaries so our children can learn to spell in all
our 11 languages.
* We are increasing support to teachers in their teaching of reading, using the
findings of the two studies we have conducted, to help teachers not only to
understand better what difficulties our children experience but also to help
them intervene appropriately.
* The department has just completed an Early-Grade Reading Assessment
instrument that is being piloted in Sepedi, Xitsonga, Tshivenda, isiXhosa,
isiZulu and English in selected districts. This instrument will help teachers
monitor reading progress in their classrooms, and help us keep an eye on how
our schools are doing. During the course of this year the tool will be
developed in the remaining five languages.
Today, we are launching a writing project, which is being piloted in 120
schools in Gauteng, Limpopo and Mpumalanga.
The purpose of this three-year programme is to support and promote the use
of all our languages in school education.
That is its most important goal and aim.
But the writing project's purpose is also to provide a model for material
development by classroom teachers; to increase the technology skills of
classroom teachers; to ensure print-rich class rooms in South Africa; and to
create an innovative model of writing instruction unique to South Africa.
The stories have been written by our own teachers; they are about their own
experiences; and they are written in their own languages.
These stories will be enjoyed in the classroom. But more importantly the
skill used to develop these stories will be taken to learners, to be used in
their own writing.
We will soon see our nation writing and reading.
It is imperative for us all to emphasise the fact that literacy and teacher
development is at the core of quality education.
Without basic literacy skills, learning about science and technology will
remain out of reach.
If our children are equipped with the skills of reading, writing and
processing of information, they will be able to succeed at school, in tertiary
education and in the job market.
Government is committed to reaching the millions of people who are located
in the most disadvantaged communities of our country, to improving their
learning opportunities.
It is our priority to improve reading and writing skills, and to ensure that
South African learners can read fluently by the third grade.
As Jane Evershed, a South African artist and poet, said so eloquently:
"To read is to empower
To empower is to write
To write is to influence
To influence is to change
To change is to live."
Ngiyabonga, Keyaleboga, thank you.
Issued by: Department of Education
10 September 2007
