Cute little faces lit up as the Minister of Basic Education Siviwe Gwarube read to them ahead of this year’s National Book Week.
Gwarube on Friday launched National Book Week by reading to kiddies from Inkwenkwezi Educare in Nyanga.
The annual celebration, which promotes the transformative power and profound impact of reading, coincides with International Literacy Day which is celebrated on 8 September each year.
Gwarube read two books, Raindrops and Lollipops (English) and an isiXhosa book, Umangaliso Losuku Lokuzalwa KukaThato, to the future leaders.
“National Book Week is more than a celebration, it is a call to action. Reading is a foundational skill on which all other learning is built, it opens doors to opportunities and dreams,” said the minister.
Gwarube reiterated one of her key priorities for the next five years and said it is to enhance literacy and numeracy across all levels of foundational schooling.
“Literacy is one of the key ways in which we can unlock economic opportunities for our learners in the future. This journey starts with a single book and the reality that every child deserves the opportunity to read and dream.
A 2023 study by Department of Basic Education and UNICEF South Africa revealed that 43% of South African households lack access to books; and the 2021 Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (Pirls), found that 81% of grade 4 learners in South Africa could not read for meaning.
Gwarube further encouraged everyone to participate in National Book Week by reading to a child, donating or sharing books, purchasing new books for those in need, or visiting the local library with young children to introduce them to a culture of borrowing and reading books from a library.
Principal Theodora Lutuli thanked Gwarube as well as their partner FNB Care for making the reading session possible.
“It was so encouraging to see and hear how she values education, especially the foundation phase,” she said.
tracy-lynn.ruiters@inl.co.za