Rally To Read – Bringing Education To South Africa’s Youth
2009-04-07
Once again, this May hundreds of sponsors
and their guests will travel in convoys of off-road vehicles to visit some of South Africa's
most remote areas and deliver much-needed educational materials to schools
across the country. This is an act of kindness and compassion done as part of
the 12th annual Rally to Read campaign.
Rally to Read started in 1998 as a joint
venture between McCarthy Limited, the Financial Mail and Read Educational
Trust. This ground breaking literacy development programme has grown
exponentially over the past 12 years and has successfully invested over R36
million in improving the quality of literacy teaching in remote, rural South
African schools. This year it will invest an anticipated further R5 million in
192 schools which partner the project.
In
2009, Rally to Read is geared once again to put a fleet of off-road vehicles to
good use, as approximately 100 sponsors rally around the country to reach
learners in some of the country’s most disadvantaged schools.
What started as a campaign to help a
handful of schools in KwaZulu Natal has today grown into a national programme,
and is organised annually with the assistance of numerous sponsors and
stakeholders.
This year, Rally to Read, a project
partnership between approximately 100 corporate companies and individuals and
the Education Departments of eight provinces, will ensure that over R5 million
worth of books, teacher training and other educational materials will be
invested in, supporting the national effort to improve the quality of learning
in South Africa’s schools.
During the five weekends of May, more than
450 off-road vehicles will travel in convoys to the far reaches of the country
to deliver books, science kits, educational toys, sports goods and other useful
items to 192 remote rural schools throughout South Africa.
Visits to these primary schools reveal the
enormous needs that exist within rural education. Resources are limited – books
are almost non-existent – and teachers are among the least qualified in the
country.
The reading skill level of the average
16-year-old child in a rural school lags up to seven years behind that of urban
children. Without effective reading and writing skills, the likelihood of
completing high school or tertiary education is as limited as the prospect of
future work. This has serious implications for a country which desperately
requires the development of small business in rural areas and which cannot
accommodate the further migration to cities of under-educated jobseekers.
These visits to the schools also form part
of a three year professional development programme that READ conducts with the
teachers of the schools. The programme aims to embed world-class teaching
methods in these faraway places and to encourage the effective learning of
literacy skills as a foundation for life-long learning.
“The annual Rally to Read brings together
individuals and company representatives intent on supporting the efforts of
rural schools to provide a better quality education for their learners.” said
Brand Pretorius, chief executive of McCarthy Limited. “Rally to Read has benefited greatly from the
involvement and energy of the thousands of Rally participants who have, over
the last 11 years, each added something unique whilst participating in the
weekend events to visit the schools.
“Rally to Read has not only to create
awareness for literacy improvement in remote rural schools, but also managed to
empower educators and learners through the provision of much-needed educational
resources,” continued Pretorius.
It costs R22 000 to be a full sponsor, of
which R14 000 is used to buy books housed in two portable classroom libraries,
while the remaining R8 000 is utilised for teacher training programmes. As the
schools are usually situated far from towns and often inaccessible by normal
vehicles, sponsors make use of their own 4x4s to personally deliver the books,
funded by their contribution, to the participating Rally to Read schools.
Each school is supported for three years.
In the first year, the emphasis is on books with large glossy pictures for
classroom reading. Books delivered in the second and third years are more
challenging.
During their weekend stay, sponsors, and up
to three passengers, are hosted as guests of the organisers. As part of a team
of six to eight vehicles, these teams deliver the materials and meet the
teachers and learners of up to three schools in their allocated area.
When Rally to Read started, the emphasis
was exclusively on books and teacher training. Now programme sponsors also
supply science kits, stationery, water bottles, classroom clocks, and even
management training for principals.
“The
impact that the Rally to Read has had on the numerous rural communities around
SA that it serves, is enormous. The program covers all the reading material
required for the learners as well as training for the educators. SASOL provide
a Science program through their Blue Box initiative and Standard Bank provides
a School Management Program for all headmasters as well,” says Iris Francis,
organiser of the Rally to Read.
“An important component about Rally is that
we don’t just want corporates to sponsor the programme - we want them to be
personally involved in the delivery of reading material and for them to
interact with the learners and see the results firsthand. It is a truly amazing
programme that touches the lives of everyone who participates.
“The
project operates under the understanding that the youth of today need to be
able to read and write effectively if they are to be able to take advantage of
opportunities in the future. Rural children are however most at risk of not
developing these skills – largely because of the lack of resources in their
schools – and it is this which the Rally to Read helps to address.”
For more information about assisting with
the project or sponsoring a set of library boxes, please contact the national
Rally to Read coordinator, Iris Francis on (031) 268-9298 or e-mail
rally@mccarthy.co.za
Issued by Wilken Communication Management
Tel: (012) 460-4448
Fax: (012) 460-4514
E-mail: flip@icon.co.za
On behalf of Rally to Read