Question No. 1188
Mr JRB Lorimer (Democratic Alliance) to ask the Minister of Basic Education:
Whether, with reference to her reply to question 563 on 25 March 2010, all the existing libraries at primary and secondary schools in all the provinces are functional; if not, (a) why not and (b) when will they become functional; if so, what constitutes a functional library?
Reply:
(a) Not all primary and secondary schools have functional libraries. The absence of functional libraries in schools is directly linked to the past inequitable resource provisioning.
(b) The Department of Basic Education recognises the necessity for school library resource provision and is addressing this in a holistic manner through the development of the national guidelines for school library and information services. This document targets provinces, districts and schools and is therefore a valuable resource at all levels. It recommends the following that will contribute towards providing a fully functional school library and information service for education:
* Roles and responsibilities on the four levels of library and information services in the education system, namely national, provincial (recommends a coordinating structure in each province), district and school levels
* Development model options and considerations which include; mobile library, cluster library, classroom library, centralised school library and school community library
* Also physical infrastructure, staffing and training, administration and management, resource collection, programmes and activities e.g. an information literacy and reading promotion programme, marketing and advocacy strategies and finally monitoring and evaluation plans to assist schools in ensuring that their goals regarding library and information services are achieved.
The guidelines are part of the broader strategy which will assist towards ensuring that each school has a functional school library and information service.
(c) The following elements constitute a functional school library and information service and are contained in the national guidelines for school library and information services.
Functional school libraries:
* enrich learners reading experiences and develop learners' skills as independent learners
* provide resources and information that teachers and learners need
* support the teaching and learning process, and extend the school's curriculum
* have skilled, enthusiastic staff with time allocated for library duties
* have up to date, attractive and suitable resources in a range of media
* are adequately funded to ensure continuing maintenance and development
* are planned and designed to be pleasant and stimulating environments
* are monitored regularly to assess their use
* are guided by a whole school library and information development plan
Issued by: Department of Basic Education
19 April 2010
Source: Department of Education (http://www.education.gov.za/)
