The Free State Department of Education (FSDoE), Sony Corporation and the South African Primary Education Support Initiative (SAPESI) pledged to work together until 2011 to fight illiteracy in South Africa. This commitment was reaffirmed by the donation of 20 000 books and four additional mobile libraries handed over at the ceremony, destined for underprivileged schools in the Free State Province.
Free State Education MEC, Mr. Tate Makgoe accepted the 20 000 books collected by Sony Group companies worldwide (Sony UK, Sony Australia, Sony New Zealand, Sony Singapore, Sony Hong Kong, Sony South Africa) as well as the additional four mobile libraries brought into the country by SAPESI to form a fleet of six libraries dedicated to the Free State Province.
Mr. Makgoe commented, “This generous donation will go a long way in improving the children’s competency in reading and writing which will allow them the opportunity to make a success of their lives. We also hope that this initiative will infuse fun and excitement in reading, which is brought to the children’s door steps by the mobile libraries, which include a treasure trove of stories. It is with enormous gratitude that I thank SAPESI and Sony Corporation for their dedication to the battle against illiteracy in our country.”
At the ceremony Mr. Hidemi Tomita, General Manager of Sony Corporation Corporate Social Responsibility Department, recommitted to working with South Africa through the SAPESI project. “We are dedicated to reinforcing the importance of education, reading being an integral part of this, as part of our commitment to the United Nations Resolution of the eradication of poverty by Millennium Development Goals – including the fight against illiteracy. In Japan we understand that children are our future and that by empowering them with knowledge they will become stronger and more powerful adults, able to better tackle daily challenges to make a success of their lives. We thank Mr. Hasunuma, who has played an integral part in the development of SAPESI.”
SAPESI, a section 21 non-profit ccmpany, and the FSDoE jointly launched the ‘South African Mobile Library Project’ in the Free State in 2007 as part of the department’s efforts to improve literacy levels by lending books to learners and teachers at primary and high schools across the province via the mobile libraries. Through mediation by SAPESI’s project coordinator in South Africa, Tadashi Hasunuma, mobile libraries from Japan are being acquired on an ongoing basis. The first two mobile libraries were handed over to the FSDoE in 2007. SAPESI, receiving grant assistance for Grass-roots Human Security Project (GGP) from the Japanese Embassy situated in Pretoria, arranged shipment of 12 mobile libraries from Japan in October 2009 of which four vehicles will be donated to FSDoE (4 to KZN DoE, 3 to Western Cape DoE and 1 to Gauteng DoE). Currently they visit 43 schools in the Thabo Mofutsanyana and Motheo districts in the Free State.
“The main goals for the Mobile Library Project are to promote fluency in reading, which is the basis of all further learning; to assist educators in promoting literacy skills to learners; and to support the school curriculum with a wide range of learning and teaching resources. Furthermore, it is hoped that the concept of the mobile libraries will provide fun and excitement of reading to the learners, rather than the traditional view that a library is a place of study.” Mr. Makgoe added.
Mr. Hasunuma concluded, “Currently 21 mobile library vehicles are visiting 380 schools in 4 provinces supporting 5,700 educators and opening up the world of literacy to 163,000 learners. It is planned that in the next six years an additional 100 mobile library vehicles are obtained, extending the service to all nine provinces and supporting all 96 education districts of South Africa. Looking beyond borders can deliver dreams to young South Africans. I wish to thank the Free State Education Department and Sony Corporation for believing in this initiative and making it possible.”
By Mpho Sekharume
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