Goqo Primary School celebrated International Literary Day recently. The school was identified by ELITS (Education Library Information Technology Services) with the aim of providing literacy packs as part of the ‘Read to Lead Campaign’. This team is led by Abaqulusi Centre Manager Mrs CS Shelembe, ELITS advisor Miss KP Ncube and teacher librarian Mrs MM Sibiya. With the theme for 2021 being ‘READING IS MY CULTURE’, the learners performed a plethora of activities to polish up their reading skills. ELITS advisor Miss Ncube told the children that reading is the foundational skill for teaching and learning. Hence, when reading is at risk, so is teaching and learning. She therefore urged the learners to make sure they read a book a week, because exposure to books has a tremendous impact on literacy development and cognition, and it promotes all reading components such as vocabulary, reading speed and comprehension. It also improves both mental and physical health. She further encouraged the schoolchildren to be avid and life-long readers, explaining that several researchers show a strong correlation between learner attainment and reading. She recommended that the school develops and sustains a reading culture across the curriculum, and that all learners (regardless of their diverse backgrounds and disabilities) must be supported to become independent readers, since reading aptitude is an important value that has an impact on all aspects of life. All grades received books from ELITS to promote reading. School principal Dr TP Nkosi lauded the educators and the ELITS team for their efforts, and said her hope is that reading will improve in light of the study that was last conducted by PIRLS (Progress in International Reading Literacy Study) in 2016. The findings were that South Africa had the lowest performance in reading compared to 50 other countries. The principal hopes reading will improve if they all join hands. ALSO READ:Today a reader, tomorrow a leader
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