Igugu Primary School celebrates International Literacy Day with iSchool Africa
Igugu Primary School in Mofolo marked International Literacy Day on September 8, promoting reading and e-literacy through iSchool Africa’s digital learning programmes.
International Literacy Day was celebrated by iSchoolAfrica Education Trust at Igugu Primary School (IPS) in Mofolo on September 8.
This day is marked as significant because 8 out of 10 learners in Grade Four cannot read with comprehension.
The iSchoolAfrica Education Trust has dealt with this literacy crisis in South Africa in local communities since 2009 by providing Apple technology to under-resourced schools.
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Through its numeracy and literacy programme, they reached over 100 000 learners and 3 000 teachers in South Africa with phonological awareness apps, interactive books, stories in all languages of Africa, and accessibility features through the iPad. This led to a 15% increase in literacy levels among participating learners.
Zulaikha Goolam, disability inclusion programme manager at iSchool Africa, said: “We are celebrating International Literacy Day (ILD) as a token of what literacy is and how much it means.
“Literacy development is the foundation of social communication and academic success. As we know, 81% of Grade Four learners cannot read for meaning.
“Today is about creating a spark for literacy, and the learners will hopefully find a passion for narratives.”
She added that the foundation introduces and promotes reading using digital devices and audio with different apps.
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“I am passionate about reading. I believe a reader is tomorrow’s leader because reading is the foundation of everything.
“What iSchool Africa and Vuma have done in promoting e-literacy gives me hope that our learners will perform better while enjoying reading.
“After this, I expect every learner leaving IPS should be able to read with understanding,’’ said the principal of IPS, Sonto Tshabalala.
Learners recited the reading they had been practicing, including in their African home languages. They also took part in a reading activity with iSchool Africa volunteers and created their own stories.
iPad champion at IPS, Unathi Nkonzo, shared that this journey has been blissful. He shared that seeing the learners blossom, joining reading sessions voluntarily using iPads, and creating their own stories is a joyful experience.
“We have also been using African Story Maker, known as ASM, which originates from African Story Books.
“It helps learners to read at different levels, depending on where they are. Making learning fun and impactful has been valuable and very interesting. I hope we will see this in their academics,’’ said Nkonzo.
