Cultivating literacy from an early age

THE City has launched 12 Early Childhood Development (ECD) libraries across the city as part of its efforts to build a solid foundation for young children.

Mayor Patricia de Lille officially launched the programme with the opening of the ECD resource library at the Crossroads Library in Philippi.

De Lille said last week was South

African Library Week and this opening was part of the City’s celebrations.

“The library is one of the most important facilities to ensure that our children and even adults have a quiet space where they can get information needed to expand their knowledge.”

Second to the school and ECD centres, libraries provide a platform for the youngsters to have a solid foundation for the future.

“I’m happy to announce that 12 of our public libraries, including this one in Philippi, will be equipped with learning materials including books, educational and recreational toys that will add to the development of the young children,” De Lille said.

She said the aim was to provide a variety of play and educational materials for children and to enrich their experiences.

“We believe these 12 libraries will be able to help stimulate the child’s early development through educational materials and toys to boost the learning experience of the boys and girls.”

She raised concerns about recent research by Unesco, which showed that eight out of 10 Grade 4 pupils still cannot read at an appropriate level.

“That is quite alarming and is an indictment of us as a whole society.

“It is important now more than ever for us to value our children’s education and to ensure that they have the tools from an early age to be able to take on a challenging world,” De Lille said.

This library, and the 11 others, will be filled with books that will enable them and their teachers to contribute to that future. She urged parents to bring the children to learn, have them interact with others in the same age group and experience a culture of reading. – JBJ Reporter