A woman with reading in mind

NAOMI Helen Machoga is the provincial coordinator of the Molteno Institute for Language and Literacy (Mill) and says the importance of reading can never be underestimated.

In her younger years, Machoga worked as a cashier, data capturer and technician. In 1987 she decided to obtain her senior certificate and went on to study towards an education degree at the University of Limpopo.

After graduating in 1993, Machoga started working as a teacher, teaching biology and English for learners from gr. 10 to 12.

Machoga says her passion for learning and reading was always at the forefront in her life, and in 1995 she left her teaching career to join Mill.

She said Mill is a non-profit language and literacy organisation on a mission to change the world by developing literacy and language as well as teaching and learning materials, while providing institutional training and classroom mentoring to developing communities in Africa.

According to Machoga, Molteno develops learning material and provides training and mentorship to foundation phase teachers using specially developed mother tongue and English development programmes.

While working for Mill, Machoga travelled extensively throughout South Africa and Lesotho. She also obtained a certificate in computer aided language learning through the University of Iowa in 2012 as well as a certificate in the basic principles of language assessment from the University of Portland in the same year.

Machoga was promoted to project coordinator in 2005. “Recently, I coordinated a joint project between the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for International Literacy and Mill.”

She said the introduction of electronic media as a teaching aid in adult education made a massive difference to her work. “Adult learners and their facilitators love every minute they spend in front of the computers,” she said.

Machoga said she coordinated all Mill projects in Limpopo and spearheaded the Access Microscholarship programme, an English language development programme. She planned to start five Access projects in the next two years.

Her advice to other women was to believe in education as a development tool. “Women should go to school and study in whatever field they prefer, as long as they get an education,” she said.