Nal’ibali Programme boosts literacy in Tafelkop

Tafelkop

As part of 2024 Literacy Month programmes during September, which encourages reading and writing among young children, the Nal’ibali Literacy Project is hosting literacy events at Rite Primary School in Tafelkop Village outside Groblersdal in Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality (EMLM).

Nal’ibali is a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign that seeks to spark and embed a culture of reading in children from birth to 12 years of age, across South Africa, through cultivating, enticing reading content in all South African languages.

Nal’ibali promotes the use of home languages in nurturing and strengthening reading culture in children as home language is transparent, easy to learn and is the first language that children connect with, in order to socialise and make sense of the world around them.

Nal’ibali stories build a healthy ongoing appetite in children to engage more with reading, and to develop other important literacy skills while creating their own reading experiences.

Johannes Nkgadima, who is the Chairperson of Reakgona Community Organization, said they brought the programme to Tafelkop so that children will develop a strong relationship with books to improve their literacy skills.

“We brought this literacy programme to assist in acquiring Rite Primary School learners and pupils from other neighbouring schools with literacy skills to make education fashionable,” he said.

Nkgadima added that the programme was brought to the village in partnership with Thathas Legacy Initiative, an organisation striving for the improvement and development of young people in the village.

Nkgadima said the Nal’ibali Literacy Programme will be taking place at Rite Primary School and Bafaladi Primary School in Ramogwerane Village, catering school going children during school and after school hours.

“The programme is expected to run for the next eight months with door-to-door visits also planned to be part of the project,” concluded Nkgadima.

During this year’s Literacy Month Programme, which is celebrated under the theme: “Enriching children’s experiences with stories and reading”, Nal’ibali will be hosting literacy events in each of South Africa’s nine provinces. 

In addition to receiving storybooks, the Nal’ibali newspaper supplement, and the new anthology of stories in African languages, children are engaged in games, read-aloud sessions, storytelling, and play-based learning activities at the Literacy Month event.

The Nal’ibali programme always encourage that children who develop strong relationships with books and reading materials early, are more likely to adopt and sustain a culture of reading. Adults who are in children’s spaces have the responsibility to nurture the love of reading in children as early as possible, to advance children’s development.