In pursuit of instilling a culture of reading and contribute to improving numeracy skills of primary school children across South Africa, ICMIF member AVBOB has this week launched Year 2 of the AVBOB Road to Literary Trolley Library campaign in partnership with Oxford University Press. The campaign will give away 260 trolley libraries equipped with books donated by Oxford University Press (OUP) Southern Africa, representing 11 official South African languages, numeracy books and other learning resources, to deserving primary schools and education NPOs.
Kebo Mosweusweu, AVBOB’s General Manager of Shared Value and Sustainability, indicated that included in 2023 campaign is the availability of reading resources in mother tongue languages. “Experts through various studies have found that teaching in a mother tongue language helps to reduce dropout rates and makes education more accessible and engaging for learners. Equally important, is the need to develop the numeracy skills at the formative ages of children. Through this year’s campaign, we aim to further reinforce our commitment to instilling a love of reading to primary school learners, nationally,” said Mosweusweu.
The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) latest findings show that 78% of Grade 4 learners in South Africa could not read with meaning in any language, because they are not taught basic literacy in the language that they speak at home.
This means that only 22% of the country’s 10-year-olds understand what they have read.
Hanri Pieterse, Managing Director of Oxford University Press Southern Africa, expanded on the importance for children to read in their mother tongue. “A good reader needs a developed written vocabulary to read with meaning. This is why a child must learn how to read in their mother tongue. When they do, they develop this written vocabulary more easily as the words they read match the words they hear and speak”.
Oxford University Press Southern Africa is South Africa’s leading literacy publisher and has donated 130 000 books in all 11 official languages for this campaign.
In 2022, 180 trolley libraries were given to the winning recipients and this year (2023) that number will increase by 80 to a total of 260 trolley libraries. The trolley libraries are sturdy structures, fitted with wheels, and used to store the books. They are manufactured by AVBOB Industries in Bloemfontein.
Last year, each trolley library was equipped with 430 books whereas in 2023, each trolley will be delivered with 500 books. Each AVBOB Road to Literacy trolley library has a value of ZAR 50 000. The total investment value for 2023 competition is ZAR 13 million, which is an increase from ZAR 10 million in 2022.
School nominations
Calls for nominations for this year’s campaign opened on 1 March 2023. The South African public are encouraged to take part in this initiative by submitting electronic nominations, as to why their choice of school or educational NPO deserves to win a trolley library equipped with books.
To nominate a school or an educational NPO, the nominator must include the desired language for the library so that the winners can receive books in their preferred language.
The handover of the trolley libraries to the winners will be facilitated by AVBOB local offices in partnership with OUP and representatives from the winning schools / NPOs.
About AVBOB Corporate Social Investment (CSI).
The AVBOB Group has donated 61 container school libraries and has committed ZAR 135 million toward the upgrade of rural schools as well as a further commitment ZAR 15 million in the Sanitation Appropriate for Education (SAFE) project.
