Keynote address by Free State Department of Education, Tate Makgoe at the celebration of World Book Day, Bloemfontein

Programme director, Head of Department Malope, Librarian and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA)  President Ms Naomi Hassbroek,
Senior Managers of the department, local authors,
Molefi our 2010 provincial Spelling Bee winner,
Learners,
Ladies and gentlemen

World Book Day is recognised worldwide to celebrate reading. Since 2008 the Free State Department of Education celebrated World Book Day through the Spelling Bee competition.

In 2010, we entered into a partnership with the Centre for the Book to celebrate World Book Day through a door to door campaign where school learners and community members were given books to encourage to them to Read,  Read,  Read!

During these celebrations, officials from the Free State Department of Education, Department of Arts and Culture and Mangaung libraries together embarked on activities to ensure a successful promotion of reading.

This year, the Free State Department of Education continues to celebrate World Book Day in the form of the Spelling Bee competition where Grade 10-12 learners are involved in vigorous reading exercises which should equip them with reading, spelling, and public speaking skills. One of the challenges facing our education system is lack of reading skills among our learners.

Ladies and gentlemen we have developed an Action Plan to 2014: Towards realisation of Schooling 2025, to identify critical areas in education that play a pivotal role in ensuring successful achievement of quality education. One of these aspects is literacy. Literacy evaluation results in the previous years and presently indicates a bleak picture with our learners scoring below 50% in literacy skills.

Our Curriculum and the IDMG directorates are working together to tackle the scourge of illiteracy amongst learners through different training ventures and promotion of reading.

In response to the poor performance of learners in national and international tests pertaining to learning outcomes, Foundation for learning Campaign was launched to improve basic literacy and numeracy in our schools. Foundations for Learning Campaign requires that reading for pleasure and writing is practiced for 30 minutes during every literacy period.

The campaign also encourages all schools to set aside time for mental arithmetic. We believe the campaign will go way in improving academic performance of our learners, assist them to attain high levels of reading ability.

In our attempt to encourage a love for reading and enhance learning and teaching in our schools were provide multi-media library resources to about 350 schools. In addition:

• A R3,253 million was utilised for the 2010/11  financial year to procure library-based resources for 10 schools while establishing school libraries in those schools.
• A R2,792 budgets was allocated for 2011/12  financial to resource 12 schools (including farm schools) towards establishment of functional libraries.
• Each of the resourced schools were also provided with a library automation system to assist with effective management of the library and its resources.
• There are mobile libraries operating in four Districts with a book stock of 6, 530 and 9,260 respectively.
• The  QIDS-UP (Quality Improvement, Development, Support and Upliftment Programme) supported  schools with classroom collections.

Ladies and gentlemen as a matter-of-fact a nation that reads enjoys inter alia, the following benefits:

• Participation in economy of the country.
• Being able to use information for functional purposes such as knowing  how to open a bank account, how to take medication, how to read a map.
• Being able to assist their children with their homework.
• Participate fully in discussions that can shape the well-being of organisations.
• Apply analytical strategies for decision-making in the workplace as well as in the community.

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 learners’ academic achievement.

While some educated and wealthy parents tend to provide both activities such as reading to their children and introducing them to libraries at an early age, children from disadvantage communities do not have such privileges. They do not have printed materials at their homes. They do not always have easy access to public/community libraries due to unavailability of such facilities in their communities.

It therefore becomes the responsibility of the teachers to ensure that where schools are provided with library resources, these are made available to learners to use for leisure and to enhance learning.

According to a research done by Professor Herold of the University of Pretoria, spelling  competence at all levels of written communication and is an important skill for school children. Herold also contends that learners with spelling difficulties experience challenges in written expression, and thus the quality of work produced tends to be poor.

Since the National Spelling Bee competitions started in the USA, the following benefits were identified:

• feeling a sense of accomplishment
• building self-confidence and self-esteem
• developing correct English usage
• learning new concepts
• interacting with other learners
• communication skills are improved.
• listening skills are improved
• developing discipline
• recognising that hard work leads to success more than just innate intelligence
• setting goals and meeting them
• competing against one’s own ability, not against others
• realising that practice makes one perfect

Through the Spelling Bee, the champion of the 2010 competition, Molefi Mohlomi was afforded an opportunity by the Centre for the Book to represent the Free State Department of Education at the Cape Town Book Fair where he gave motivational presentations to Cape Town learners who participated in Reading Clubs. This indicates that this learner has achieved confidence in public speaking and I also understand that in his school he is also involved in debating activities.

In conclusion ladies and gentlemen, we need to re-emphasise that literacy skills are essential to succeeding in today's society and help people to participate positively in the socio-economic development in their communities.

We therefore call on our strategic stakeholders to work together with the department to help learners with basic reading and writing skills. Literacy is a fundamental right. Poor literacy skills are directly linked to poverty, poor health and high unemployment rates.

I thank you.