We rescue sort, catalogue and display books to create usable resource centres in local schools.
Many schools in the KZN Midlands do not have libraries in which learners can do research for projects and develop a love of reading. The Department of Education, through Education Library Information and Technology Services (ELITS), in an effort to kick start the process of having well-functioning resource centres all over the province, have provided schools with a “Starter Collection”, a selection of wonderful fiction and non-fiction books. Unfortunately, at some schools, books are stored in cardboard boxes under tables or on dusty shelves in a random order. This is hardly the way to instil a culture of research and reading in young minds. Little wonder then that in 2005, when the Progress in International Reading Literacy study (Van Staden, 2006) tested literacy in children after four years in school, across 40 countries, South Africa came last.
During the past four years the Midlands Meander Education Project has built relationships with a number of local schools and has offered to assist those who require encouragement to get their libraries functioning well. MMAEP facilitators and volunteers spend many hours sorting through the books and discovering treasures like “Please Frog, Just One Sip” by Piet Grobler and “One Child, One Seed” produced by Oxfam. We source donations of paint, shelving, carpets, chairs, cushions, computers and more books to ensure that the library becomes a welcoming and usable space. We encourage parents and community members to assist with covering books to ensure they also feel proud of the facility and build community relationships. We facilitate workshops for the educators to ensure they are confidently able to use the library with their classes and plan creative lessons to introduce the learners to the many possibilities which the library offers.
We believe that by improving school libraries we are offering the children a chance to take control of their own learning, rather than only relying on the educator.
Last modified: 26 December 2009
