THE SOUTH AFRICAN NATIONAL LITERACY INITIATIVE

20 June 2000

Education Minister Kader Asmal will on Monday, June 26, 2000, launch the South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI) at the Vodadome, Vodaworld, Midrand, at 19h00.

The launch of SANLI follows a series of meetings held last year between the Minister and government providers, non-governmental organisations, community organisations, the interim Adult Basic Education and Training (ABET) advisory board, employers, churches, academics, and other interest groups throughout South Africa. After these consultations, the Minister identified the eradication of illiteracy among South Afrcan adults as a top priority.

Tirisano, launched in January this year, gave tangible expression to this objective. It mandated the establishment of the South African Literacy Agency with a brief to significantly reduce adult illiteracy through the:

• mobilisation of voluntary services in support of a nationwide literacy initiative;
• development of training programmes for volunteer educators;
• design, development and procurement of reading and resource materials;
• setting-up of local literacy units with the responsibility for running the initiative at local level;
• establishment and maintenance of a database of learners and providers;
• recruitment and servicing of the needs of learners and educators.

For further details contact: Gugu Nxumalo: Tel: (012) 312 5419
RSVP: Rachelle Seymore: Tel: (012) 312 5107 / Fax: (012) 324 2110
Email: seymore.r@educ.pwv.gov.za
Khume Kangala: Tel: (012) 312 5030 / Fax: (012) 324 2110
Email: kangala.k@educ.pwv.gov.za

Issued by Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) on behalf of the Ministry of Education