WATCH:Make reading cool

The National Basic Education Department and the National Education Collaboration Trust have formed a partnership to encourage reading in South Africa.

Basic Education Minister, Angie Motshekga along with members from the trust as well as academics, teachers, unions and non-profit organisations met on 2 December at the Midrand Conference Centre to discuss the way forward as they head towards the launch of the National Reading Plan launch date early next year.

Motshekga said the National Reading Plan was an overarching evidence-based strategy that would alter the entire reading landscape in the country. “It complements rather than to replace all existing reading initiatives including the Read to Lead Campaign. The main thrust of this comprehensive reading plan is to ensure reading for meaning across the curriculum, in all grades, and in all schools throughout the country.

“Our plan is to ensure that we teach all our learners to read well. This initiative will be supported by teachers and subject advisors trained in reading methodologies.”

Motshekga explained that all parents of schoolgoing children will form the backbone of this reading plan. “So far, the National Reading Coalition has conducted a landscape study of reading initiatives and an audit of resources that schools have in 25 per cent of circuits (263) in Limpopo, North West, Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

“Book clubs have been established in Limpopo, Mpumalanga and North West involving some 230 principals and circuit managers. In collaboration with the trade union South African Democratic Teachers Union, the National Reading Coalition has hosted a book drive that has, so far, yielded thousands of books meant for teachers.”

Cyril Ramaphosa has also launched the Presidential Reading Circle. This virtual book club is an effort to boost reading across the country, also allowing readers to share their views on books with the president through the chat service on the site designated for this club.

Godwin Khosa, CEO for the National Education Collaboration Trust added that success was not limited to talent, it comes when it meets with reading, hard work hard, being disciplined and so forth. “Three models are being rolled out as test models in the 52 circuits to test the efficacy of various ways of providing materials to learners. The first was the distribution of graded readers which is linked to monitoring and evaluation of the utilisation of the books.

“We want to use the African storybooks in soft copies, close to 22 schools have been identified and provided books as test sites. We provided a laptop and a projector to see the impact of the approach.

“In addition, there has been community reading forums established, to see what it takes to establish one and more importantly what it takes to keep them intact.

“The DBE is putting together a reading improvement plan that will guide the sector on the department and its nine provincial departments.”

Details: Hloni Motloung hloni.motloung@ritogroup.africa

Related Article: 

https://www.citizen.co.za/midrand-reporter/229831/classroom-capacity-high-pressure-zones-increased-gauteng-education/