First Boks for Books library
Gcobani Higher Primary School in Mdantsane in the Eastern Cape on Thursday officially celebrated the opening of the library provided by the South African Rugby Union’s (SARU) Boks for Books literacy campaign.
The school was identified as part of the Boks for Books campaign – a new Corporate Social Investment (CSI) initiative by SARU to supply 23 fully-stocked mobile or refurbished libraries to previously disadvantaged schools.
The decision to choose Gcobani Higher Primary School was based on a number of factors including the need for education in the Eastern Cape, the quality of leadership at the school, the needs of the learners and the community’s openness to the project at large.
In his keynote address at the opening function, which was attended by various stakeholders from the local community, SARU vice-president Mark Alexander explained that rugby, schools and education are inextricably linked.
Alexander said: “Springboks are ultimately made at schools, but as a sport rugby emphasises the important value of education. There is a critical need for basic education in our country and the provision thereof is a top-priority for our government. However, we all have a duty to join in these efforts to ensure that every child has access to a good education. I am therefore delighted that our national players are all involved in various efforts to help raise awareness for this project."
The principal of the Gcobani HPS, Mrs Mjila said: “On behalf of the parents, learners and teachers I would like to thank SARU and the Springboks for their kindness and thoughtfulness in choosing our school as a recipient.
“Receiving a library will be of great assistance to our learners as well as the community at large. We want to ensure that our learners become independent, and this involves being able to research information for their subjects as well as reading for pleasure to broaden their minds."
Springbok Sevens and SA Under-20 wing Seabelo Senatla, SA Under-20 prop Sti Sithole and Springbok Women’s captain, Mandisa Williams, were amongst the sports personalities and invited guests who attended the opening of the library.
Senatla, who earlier this year excelled for the SA Under-20 team at the IRB Junior World Championships in France and at the Rugby World Cup Sevens in Russia, explained the importance of learning to read at an early age: “I was fortunate to have teachers at primary school who encouraged to me to read as much as possible. I know that illiteracy is a challenge, especially in rural areas, and I am therefore very pleased that SARU will make a meaningful contribution toward the development of reading skills in some of these areas through the Boks for Books project."
Head-girl of the school, 12-year old, Sisenabo Mejane said she was delighted to have a library at her school: “To have a library means that our brothers and sisters do not have to walk far to go and look for information. The easy access to the library at school will also help to improve our pass rate."
Other schools in area that will benefit from the installation include Isibane JPS, Zuzile JPS, Nokulunga JPS and Phumelelani SP.
* South Africa currently has approximately 12.3 million school pupils, although only 8% of public schools have functional libraries. The majority of these are found in former ‘Model C’ schools where they have the resources to staff and stock libraries.
* In 2011, the World Economic Forum ranked South Africa 140th out of 144 nations based on national educational assessments.
Boks for Books was launched in Durban on 6 June 2013 and SARU is proud to be able to open the first school library just two months after the official launch of the project.
