Learners join hands to promote culture of reading

Scores of students from various schools in Polokwane and surrounds recently participated in the Polokwane Indigenous Language Reading Festival for National Book Week (NBW) at Polo­kwane’s Municipality Library Gardens.
Students accompanied by their educators refined their reading skills by reading some of the indigenous books donated to them by Polokwane Municipality’s Literacy Office.
Among the activities they engaged in were poetry reading, book discussions and analysis.
Maudry Dunster, Literacy Officer at Polokwane Municipality said the main purpose of the event was to promote and inculcate the culture of reading within the students. “Reading stimulates the mind so we wanted to create awareness of reading beyond the classroom as without the classroom as without the opportunity to read widely, what is taught in the classroom cannot be reinforced,” Dunster said.
She said with the indigenous books they donated to learners who participated in the event they hope to encourage learners to start reading indigenous books, read more of their languages and tell stories in their own languages.
The festival formed part of the NBW South Africa’s reading awareness week dedicated to encouraging reading and promoting books.
It was launched in 2010 in response to a study commissioned by the South African Book Development Council into the book reading habits of adult South Africans.

Story and photo: Herbert Rachuene
>>herbert.observer@gmail.com