Umalusi marked the Nelson Mandela International Day by spending 67 minutes talking to primary school learners at four different schools in four provinces about the importance of reading for meaning in home languages.
To heed the call by the United Nations to mark the day by making a difference in communities, Umalusi put together this campaign in 2023 to respond to the low literacy levels amongst primary school learners as revealed by the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) results. The study revealed that 81% of our primary school pupils are unable to read for meaning in their home languages by the time they turn 10 years of age.
Acknowledging that one of the key factors that affect learners’ literacy levels is limited exposure to age-appropriate reading materials particularly in home languages, Umalusi successfully negotiated with Macmillan Education South Africa, CopyCat Communications and Publishing, Agang ka Ditlhaka Language Practitioners, and Ithuta Books to contribute to the campaign by donating readers and books in different home languages. The over 5 700 reading materials received from these publishers were distributed to learners at the following four primary school:
- Kopanelang Thuto Primary, Sasolburg in the Free State,
- Madika Primary School, Zebediela in Limpopo,
- Komane Primary, Maboloka (Brits) in the Northwest, and
- Nobuhle Primary, Kwaggafontein in Mpumalanga.
The 2024 Umalusi campaign benefitted over 3 600 learners and 110 teachers associated with the four primary schools. Umalusi officials encouraged teachers and learners at these schools to spend a minimum of 67 minutes daily reading the books and discussing their content in their reading corners and reading clubs.
Appreciating the generosity of the donors, the CEO of Umalusi, Dr Mafu S. Rakometsi, said to the four publishers: “Your efforts in giving effect to the call by the United Nations leave us in your debt.”
