Galeshewe Township, Kimberley, 14 September 2002
Director of Ceremony,
MEC for Economic Affairs,
The Executive Mayor,
School Principals,
Church and Community Leaders,
Honoured Guests,
Volunteer Educators,
Adult Learners,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The dust has hardly settled after our country hosted the United Nation's World Summit on Sustainable Development. A number of resolutions have been taken concerning the planet, the livelihood of the peoples of the world and how we humans can co-exist with nature in order to create a safe and sustainable environment and a better future for our children. Many of the world's citizens in the developing countries especially those who are poor are reliant on the meagre natural resources that are being plundered and polluted on a massive scale by the developed countries. However, even at the micro level ignorance and sometimes illiteracy tend to exacerbate the condition of an environment whose sustainability has been stretched to breaking point.
This month the South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI), which was launched two years ago, is celebrating its second International Literacy Day. Normally observed on 8 September each year, the International Literacy Day is dedicated for bringing to the attention of the world, the plight of many millions of people who cannot read and write - people with very little or no schooling at all. About 20% of the world's population falls in this category and our country has about 6 million adults suffering under the same condition.
Here we are quietly and with little fan-fair, but with strong commitment and determination, persistent in our resolve, joining the rest of the world in seeking to better the lives of us all by reducing the numbers of the illiterate people among our citizens.
The ability to read and write significantly increases people's opportunities and access to more meaningful ways of living. They know their rights and are less dependent on others in running the affairs of their lives. Unfortunately, illiteracy denies a considerable number of citizens these rights. It deprives them of their right to privacy, as their business must always involve a third person who might be a relative, a neighbour or even a stranger.
Literacy is not just about reading and writing, it is about
* Social development;
* Taking seriously people's contexts and what is happening in their lives;
* Weaving and integrating their experiences into their learning, thereby restoring
their dignity;
* It is about lifting people's spirits, giving them confidence and reconciling
them with the environment from which they are isolated because of illiteracy;
* It is about opening up choices and creating enabling conditions to enhance
their participation in local economic activities.
We welcome and acknowledge the presence of the MEC for Economic Affairs. Our networking with him today should result in the literacy programmes being integrated into the local economic development activities that are taking place in this province.
So far, SANLI has conducted pilot projects through 5 NGOs, namely, SACHED, Project literacy, Operation Upgrade, Hampton College and Molteno Project. It has trained volunteer educators at Orange Farm, Motle Village, Soweto, Winterton and Mamponjwana in the Drakensberg.
We are also working in Presidential Nodal Areas as part of the urban renewal and rural development strategies. To this end we have conducted a baseline survey in each of the nodal areas to get a sense of demand for literacy and available community development projects. Literacy programmes in these areas will be integrated with the existing community development projects as part of post literacy activities for learners.
In your Province we are working in Galeshewe as part of this project. We will be contracting NGOs to conduct literacy classes and we hope that the implementation will start in January 2003.
The National Department of Education has planned road shows to visit all the participating districts during the months of October to December this year to give communities a report back on the baseline survey and to inform them of the implementation of the project in January 2003. This is done so that the communities are given the opportunity to identify possible learning sites and recruit potential adult learners.
Volunteers are the backbone of this campaign and we are truly grateful to all those who have selflessly donated their time and skills to ensure that more people have access to the written word and all that it entails.
Various role players in the community are crucial to the success of 'breaking the back of illiteracy' in our country. Principals of schools and members of School Governing Bodies can assist by providing space for adult classes to take place in their schools when the normal school time is over. We would like to acknowledge seven schools in Galeshewe that have opened their doors for literacy classes to take place (name the schools). Churches too, can provide sites and advocate for literacy by encouraging those who can teach to volunteer to be educators and those who wish to learn to join classes. Ministers, pastors and priests can also visit the learning sites during their community pastoral visits and offer support to both learners and educators.
Community leaders can ensure that the people in their local areas are aware of the literacy classes taking place and urge their people to register for literacy classes. People from different organisations can bring to the attention of their members the opportunity that is available to them to learn how to read, write and to acquire numeracy skills.
We acknowledge the support provided by UNESCO in our efforts to significantly reduce illiteracy in the country. Indeed, the problem of illiteracy cannot go unattended any longer and the government is committed to significantly reducing levels of illiteracy in the country.
The partnership we have with UNISA and DFID has enabled us to commit and support the South African Graduate Development Association (SAGDA) by training these young people to become volunteer educators. This gesture from our youth is crucial in our efforts to reclaim our values of 'ubuntu', the spirit of community and citizenship. Not only do we have to reclaim our values but also to maintain and inculcate them in our youth.
The department will ensure that volunteer educators are trained; learner support materials provided and that service providers that have experience and expertise in the field of literacy are engaged. The responsibility of liberating our people from illiteracy falls on the shoulders of us all, especially those who can read and write.
I thank you.
Issued by Ministry of Education
14 September 2002