READ and Nedbank celebrate the joys of reading at launch of Readathon 2008.
23 April 2008: On the day that the World celebrates World Book Day, READ Educational Trust, Nedbank and the Department of Education committed themselves to the ideal of introducing young people to the joy and passion of reading thus improving their literacy skills.
A recent international comparative research study conducted by the Centre for Evaluation and Assessment at the University of Pretoria, stated that South Africa has over 6 million adults over the ages of 16 years who have never attended school and cannot read or write. This translates to a 15% illiteracy rate for adults in South Africa.
In a ceremony held to launch the 20th Annual READATHON at Nedbank Headquarters in Sandton, Cynthia Hugo, National Director of READ said reading has the potential of not only broadening the horizons of young people, taking them on a journey of discovery, wonderment and sheer exhilaration, but that it also empowers them with the tools to navigate and transact in the modern world with confidence.
“Reading forms the bedrock of any educational system and has been proven to help people from all walks of life to raise themselves from the seemingly hopeless human conditions,” she said.
The READATHON- a schools and community based literacy programme aimed at encouraging a culture of reading- provides a platform to engage both students and teachers in enhancing literacy skills whilst indulging them in the wonderful world of books.
Rob Shuter, MD of Nedbank Retail said, “Nedbank was proud to be associated with the READ Educational Trust and its noble undertaking.”
Shuter added that the Nedbank was passionate about supporting initiatives that sought to empower young people to be independent, motivated and driven. Reading, he enthused was instrumental in moulding young people to become excellent leaders, instill discipline and help shape them into independent thinkers.
The power and joy of reading affords young people a chance to stride out into the world with the confidence acquired from the enriching and awe- inspiring indulgence of reading.
Hugo added that the involvement and support of business in initiatives that sought to empower young people to become literate should be applauded.
South Africa is required to make sure that its young people can hold their own against their peers anywhere in the world, she said. By investing in making sure that our young people have access to books, business is also making an investment into the future of South Africa. We need an informed, confident and resilient group of young people to make sure that we build a winning nation.
“We have to make sure that we reverse the ignominy of being rated as one of the worst nations in terms of literacy. It’s a battle that we at Read are waging with the help of partners like Nedbank and through the support and infrastructure of the Department of Education.”
We have to stay true to this ideal and remember the words of a famous author, Mark Twain, who in his book Huckleberry Finn said, “If you think education is expensive, try ignorance.”