Dozens of pupils have been reintroduced to the enchanted world of books during a reading session hosted at the Sume Centre at Charles Duna Primary School in celebration of World Read Aloud Day on Wednesday.
The event, organised by Masinyusane in collaboration with Nal’iBali, saw 44 children gather to listen to storytelling and participate in other activities such as EduTech, Numeracy and Zazi Izandi.
Early childhood development practitioner Hlumelo Sukula led the reading session, bringing it to life with a skilled interactive approach that had the children singing along, dancing and even mimicking what Sukula acted out.
Children heard stories such as The Fussy Gorilla and What’s more scary than a shark?
Sukula said she chose the particular stories because she was able to get into character and do voice changes, which had the children hooked from start to finish.
“We do this in the hopes that the child is able to read pre-grade R,” Sukula said.
“We receive feedback from parents by way of videos they make at home and send to us, where they are acting out stories.”
Masinyusane’s Fiks Mahola said that partnering with Nal’iBali was not new so when the opportunity to participate in World Read Aloud Day knocked, they were keen to answer.
“No one organisation can solve the literacy crisis in the city, and in the country, so it is vital for like-minded organisations to work together,” he said.
“What we see is that when a child hears a story, whether read aloud to or a story is simply being told, it ignites their imagination and a love of hearing stories.
“Our hope, as an organisation, is that we develop a nation of storytellers, and also a nation of children who really enjoy reading.”
He expressed the importance of parents and caregivers supporting reading at home by reading stories to their children, or even simply telling them stories.
The Bongani Gxilishe Education Foundation, in partnership with Shuter & Shooter Publishers, joined in on the celebration, announcing the donation of 27,000 books to the foundation for distribution to schools and libraries across the Nelson Mandela Bay metro.
Shuter chief executive Nomkhita Mona said the donation was aimed at strengthening literacy and fostering a culture of learning among pupils.
“This contribution will go a long way in promoting literacy and the culture of learning among pupils, especially in light of the University of the Western Cape report, cited by the minister of basic education, Siviwe Gwarube, which shows that 81% of pupils in the intermediate phase cannot read with meaning and understanding in any language,” Mona said.
The handover ceremony, planned by the two partners in collaboration with the local department of basic education office and the Nelson Mandela Bay Libraries Directorate, is expected to take place at the end of February.
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