Another generation of children can enjoy the wonders of reading thanks to a partnership which saw the opening of a new library for grades R to 3 at Sobambisana Primary School in Khayelitsha.
Breadline Africa, Help2Read and other Early Childhood Development organisations rallied together to make the project possible.
The library is aimed at reducing illiteracy and improving the children’s reading and writing.
At the opening on Friday June 15, it was crammed to capacity by eager children keen to read.
Principal Mvuyisi Damba said he felt privileged to have a library that will only cater for the foundation phase at his school.
He said the library will be able to help instil a culture of reading in children who were not ordinarily exposed to books.
“We aim to improve reading and writing at our school. We have a challenge of children who cannot write properly or read. The WhatsApp writing style has created a problem. Children are struggling to do the right thing because of the phones. This will help those who are from the foundation phase to catch those things at an early age,” he said.
Mr Damba praised the donors and pleaded with parents to work with them. He said for literacy levels to improve, parents need to help.
He said more needs to be done to encourage pupils to read books.
“Parents can help us by not giving children cellphones to take to school. These phones are disruptive and we have to confiscate them, something that is not ideal. Children are also robbed because they have top-of-the range phones at a very early age.”
The launch was attended by, among others, the school governing body (SGB), and a few parents.
Puleng Phooko, Breadline Africa’s programme manager, said the Sobambisana library was one of the successes her organisation is proud of.
She said they expect children to share and access books.
“All we care for is education for our children. We know teachers often want to see libraries clean and books clean but we do not want that. We want the library to be used. We used to rely on teachers to manage the facility well but we have taken that pressure off them and used volunteers,” she said.
Another partner organisation, Help2read said the library will see a lot of young children starting to read at an early age.
Nosipho Ndyalvani, who facilitated the process of the library, said children need to read at an early age when the culture of reading must be instilled.