Nalibali Pdf

[Yaima President]

Lastyear, we took a long, hard look at the state of illiteracy in South Africa. By now, you may be well aware of the statistics and their implications, but what you may not know is what is being done by initiatives and organisations that, like ourselves, are working every day to solve the literacy crisis.

Nevertheless, we recognise that greater coordination of our collective efforts is essential if we are to consolidate the impact we each have on the lives of the children we seek to help. We have to coordinate better between ourselves and pass the baton between ourselves so that children are able to build on and consolidate earlier interventions with those at a later stage of their school lives.

One of our key objectives in 2017 is therefore to encourage and increase joined up action and to secure the support of the private sector at scale, so that we can eradicate illiteracy within a generation. That is why we are launching this new blog series, Who Is Who in Literacy.

Literacy skills are a strong predictor of future academic success in all subjects. All the evidence shows that children who regularly read and hear engaging stories, in languages they understand, are well equipped and motivated to learn to read and write. A significant body of research reinforces the link between reading for pleasure and improved outcomes for children.

However, we believe that children who have the opportunity to read in a setting that is undemanding, where they get to self-select the stories that interest them, in a language that they choose, and at a pace that they determine, then children typically do enjoy the experience of reading. Children are naturally curious learners, but fear of failure when pressure is applied often inhibits their ability to perform well as readers.

In South Africa, the majority of children are not reading well. Of 15 education systems in sub-Saharan Africa that participated in the most recent SACMEQ tests of Grade 6 learners, South Africa had the third highest proportion of functionally illiterate children (27%). In rural areas, this figure is even higher: up to 58% of 13-year-olds living in rural areas are functionally illiterate. UNESCO estimates that there are 4.7 million illiterate children in South Africa. Because reading underpins all learning, poor reading skills are a recipe for low educational achievement not only in language, but in all subjects, including mathematics.

Many factors contribute to this poor performance. Most South Africans have limited access to reading materials: 92% of primary schools lack functional libraries, and 85% of the population lives beyond easy reach of a public library. More than half of South African households (51%) have no leisure books, and only 6% of homes have more than 40 titles.

Lack of reading culture extends into homes and communities. Only 14% of South Africans adults consider themselves active readers, and only 5% of parents read to their children. Some caregiver are illiterate, and many more lack the confidence, skills and stories to read aloud. The importance of oral storytelling, talking to children, songs and rhymes, which also support language development, are largely undervalued.

Individuals or organisations can join the FUNda Leader movement by visiting our website www.nalibali.org. You can sign up for one day, inspirational FUNda Leader training, two-day training on how to run a reading club, or three-day train-the-trainer training for larger partners.

We will also share the 15 different ways that you can promote literacy development in your space through our FUNda Leader Kick-off Kit. Being part of the FUNda Leader network instantly connects you to over a thousand other like-minded activists who have chosen to do the same.

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