The 26 child authors had their books signed by the MEC for education, Bonakele Majuba, on November 14.
This initiative was made possible through the school’s partnership with Standard Bank and Bala Books.
IN PICTURES: Child Author Books Signing Ceremony
Explaining how it all started, Thoko Mazibuko, the school’s principal, said, “This project started when Standard Bank identified us as one of the poorest of the poor schools, which is Quintile One. They built us a beautiful kitchen, renovated the whole school last year and they still wanted to give back to the community by giving
the learners an opportunity to write their own books.
“That was a marvellous experience for our kids. They are motivated to read, write and express themselves with confidence. Unfortunately, we don’t have a library, we only have a mini library, which is not so effective. We will give the books to the learners to go and read at home and bring them back,” she said.
The topics of the fiction books range from wild animals and the environment to issues affecting the community, such as child abuse, poverty, parenting, and many more.
Bulelwa Chiloane (10), a grade five learner, wrote a siSwati book, Ticatfulo ta Mandu tekugijima. “I am so grateful to have written this book for the children of the whole world to read. The book aims to help children treat one another equally, regardless of their status, because one day they will need one another’s help,” she said.
Congratulating the future authors, Majuba said, “The benefits of child-authored books adds impetus in our quest to promote indigenous languages, cultural diversity and inculcate the art of storytelling. It forms the basis for the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills, and prepares our children at an early age to be competent,” he added.
