Many children struggle to read and often, by the time they are in Grade 4, they have not grasped reading. The sorry state of literacy in South African schools has highlighted that more than 80% of Grade 4 pupils cannot read for understanding.

Jeanine Weyer, who works with RITE whose Reader Project, which teaches basic literacy, is making a difference to the prospects of children in underserved communities.

“Reading must be an opportunity to grow, imagine, dream for a future and not a torturous grind,” said Ms Weyer. “RITE holds literacy workshops for teachers who face the challenge of classes of up to 50 pupils and severe shortages of teaching aids like readers.”

Ms Weyer spent time with The Domino Foundation’s education co-ordinator, Nicky Walton, and the leader of its Life Skills team, Thobile Msani. At their meeting Ms Weyer explained how her organisation has developed a series of readers in consultation with academic authorities to ensure the effectiveness of the aids.

“We have had 154 000 illustrated readers printed to stimulate excitement in pupils and a desire to read the stories. We have already distributed RITE readers to a thousand Grade R teachers around the country and 100 000 books have been donated to schools. Now we aiming for the next 100 000,” said Ms Weyer.

A handover of 12 sets of colourful early-learning readers with 10 books in each set were given to the Domino Foundation’s Literacy Champion, Dudu Dladla.

Ms Dladla is based at Amaoti 3 Secondary High School, north of Durban. More than 200 grades 8, 9 and 10 pupils with literacy challenges are attending small-group sessions with Ms Dladla. The relevant and ability-appropriate readers will help build confidence and ability in the pupils, Ms Weyer said.

“The readers can be used in a variety of ways, in small groups of four with each pupil having their own copy of the same reader. Or, if the classes are too large, whole-class reading with one copy between four pupils. Pupils follow along while their teacher reads or take turns reading aloud,” said Ms Weyer.

Ms Dladla said she enjoys using the readers and helping the pupils learn to fall in love with reading.

“I love being the Literacy Champion,” said Ms Dladla, “I am laying a foundation for the pupils and teaching them to be confident and to attack words without being afraid,” she said.

To learn more about how RITE works and how it can be supported in its efforts to “light a fire” in young pupils in literacy, contact Ms Weyer on jeanineweyer@telkomsa.net

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Dudu Dladla boosts literacy at Amaoti 3 Secondary with RITE’s reader project

Literacy project at Amaoti 3 Secondary School in Phoenix