Safcol employees empower themselves through literacy

MBOMBELA- In an effort to adhere to the international call to eradicate illiteracy, Safcol Komatiland
Forest near Sabie held a literacy awareness campaign to lecture its employees on the importance of education.

“We want all our employees to be able to read their contracts and bank statements and be independent in handling their own affairs, be it here at work or in other sectors where they are required to read and sign, not just throwing in an X everywhere without understanding what they are signing,” explained Ms Peggy Sithole, spokesperson for Komatiland Forest.

“When you are educated, you will not be robbed of money by your child who might take advantage of the fact that you cannot read and write and start asking for ‘corrections’ and ‘photosynthesis’ because you will understand that there is no money needed for children to write corrections at school,” she added.

Safcol Group has enrolled 200 employees from its 16 plantations in the country and more than 500 community members aged 25 to 84 in the Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) programme. Some of them were awarded certificates in recognition and encouragement to continue with their classes.

One of them, 45-year-old Mr Velile Mashile of Bushbuckridge received his Level 4 certificate after persistent study since 2007.
“I attended ABET classes from 18:00 until 20:00. It wasn’t easy but it was worth it. In the meantime I have completed my computer training as well. Since I started studying, I have been promoted from mere slashing jobs to a store man, then to an admin assistant and assistant procurement officer at head office. I look forward to greater things to come,” he said.

Mashile encouraged every illiterate person regardless of their age, to change their minds and enrol with adult education. Speakers emphasised the importance of learning new skills every day as education was a continuous process. The plantation’s management also promised to continue supporting the education of its employees as
a way of investing in their lives.

The day was also marked by drama and music expressing the importance of being able to read and write.
International Literacy Day is celebrated worldwide on September 8, after being proclaimed by UNESCO on November 17, 1965.
Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies, and to remind the international community of the status of literacy and adult learning globally.

Research shows that more than 775 million adults lack minimum literacy skills; one in five adults are still not literate and two-thirds of them are women; another 60,7 million children are out of school and many more attend irregularly or drop out. Scholars say literacy entails the acquisition of critical-thinking skills and developing knowledge skill bases that enables individuals to contribute to the advancement of society