Tlhakanang Primary School overjoyed about library

One small gesture can bring a smile to a thousand of people’s faces.

It is often said that doing good deeds does not only put a smile on the faces of those at the receiving end, but also those doing the good deeds.

The teachers and learners of Tlhakanang Primary School in Kopanong section, Thembisa, were left with tears of joy after the CSI department of Standard Bank supplied them with a library.

With the help of RAK Events, Tlhakanang Primary learners can now improve their reading and expand their love for reading.

Simone Burts of RAK Events said: “The CSI department of Standard Bank, making use of its Employee Volunteer Programme and an external service provider, RAK Events, has been implementing school libraries at primary schools across the country for the last three years.”

Knowledge is gained through reading, and learners can now gain more knowledge by visiting the library more often to read.

“The objective of the programme is to cultivate a love of reading among the learners in foundation phase – with the aim of improving the level of literacy in those grades,” said Burts.

Burts explained that this programme works by selecting certain schools and then identifying an available classroom or any other space that will be suitable to implement a library. She added that the school will also identify three classrooms in which library corners will be established.

“The RAK Events team then goes to the schools to prepare the classroom for the library implementation. The classroom is cleaned, painted and general repairs are taken care of where necessary,” said Burts.

Library coordinator Thoka Morare expressed his gratitude to the Standard Bank team and RAK Events.

“The school is humbled by this gesture. This is our first donor in the history of Tlhakanang Primary. Now we can encourage the learners to read more and make use of the library as much as possible,” said Morare.

He said in order to ensure the learners make use of the library initiatives from the district are implemented whereby certain dates are dedicated to reading books the whole day.

“I started a programme where children will come and read, grade by grade,” said Morare.

The Standard Bank employees who volunteered were divided into groups. There were groups who focused on making reading-corner cushions and other who made ottomans and tyre chairs.

Others focused on painting the shelving and pre-drawn murals. The last group focused on sorting the new consignment of books and putting them on the shelves. The volunteers also upgraded the jungle gym and the traffic circle and painted some fun games on the pavement for learners to enjoy.

“The Standard Bank employees volunteer their time, skill and passion to put the finishing touches into the library,” said Burts.

One of the Standard Bank volunteers, Busisiwe Mavundla, was very happy to be part of this improvement.

“The experience has been amazing. We get exposed to seeing one side and one way of life and often forget what is happening around the corner,” explained Mavundla.

“To see the learners struggling because they don’t have a library reminds us as a community that we have a responsibility to always help where we can,” she said.

Dikeledi Manamela, language department HOD at the school, said: “I have been teaching at this school for about 18 years and never have we been this honoured. May Standard Bank and RAK Events continue doing good deeds. We are very fortunate that they selected us.”

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