Statistics show that South Africa has a poor reading culture but with National Book Week (NBW) fast approaching, the idea is to encourage reading and promote books.
A South African Book Development Council (SABDC) study revealed that just 14 per cent of South Africans read actively, while 58 per cent of households did not have a single leisure book at home. The survey further revealed that a third of parents have never told stories and almost 50 per cent have never read a book with their children. Elitha van der Sandt, CEO of SABDC, said the lack of interest in reading in SA needs a collective awakening.
Many reasons have been established to support the importance of reading, but what does reading mean to a young mind?
For this week’s #WisdomWednesday, the Herald spoke to Pamela Mapena, English teacher at FJL Wells Primary Mine School, who said despite the school not having a library, all efforts are being made to assist learners to adopt a reading culture from a young age.
“We have a designated period in which we focus on reading only. During this period, our learners are allowed to pick up any book they want. As part of the exercise, they are required to give us their reviews – this is to make sure that they do indeed benefit from reading,” Pamela said.
