ActionSA reading programme launch in Olievenhoutbosch
“Many children are failing at school, not because they do not understand the content, but because they cannot read with understanding.”
The fourth launch of Reading with ActionSA was held in Olievenhoutbosch, Centurion at the ECD centre on Saturday.
The event was attended by more than 90 pre- and primary learners accompanied by their caregivers and parents.
The organisers gave each child a free book to take home at the end of the day, in the hope that they will become readers for life.
Councillor Henriette Frohlich emphasised the importance of taking kids to the library, even if it was just for 10 minutes.
Frohlich said that the idea would instill maximum discipline and also amplify the love of reading at a very tender age.
“Many children are failing at school, not because they do not understand the content, but because they cannot read with understanding. It is important that we help our children love books before they start school so that learning is fun and easy,” she said.
The organisers also identified two learners in the area who will be allowed to participate in reading with ActionSA’s one-year internship programme on Phono-Graphix Reading Tutor.
According to Frohlich, the internship programme wants to establish a buddy reading centre in the area by August 2023.
Councillors Kholofelo Morodi, Flora Monama and Frohlich founded Reading with ActionSA a few months ago, to provide under-resourced communities with access to affordable, high-quality literacy programmes and children’s books for primary-aged children throughout South Africa.
According to the latest Background Report for the 2030 Reading Panel, most Grade 2 children do not know the alphabet, while 82% of Grade 4 children cannot read for meaning.
The first launch of Reading with ActionSA took place in Gomorrah informal settlement in October 2022 after the three women read the disturbing news headlines about the country’s dismal literacy statistics.
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