CONTINUING to build on its ambitious goal of eradicating illiteracy among children under the age of 10 years, the Volkswagen Community Trust hosted its fourth annual literacy conference last Thursday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The conference convened education stakeholders and experts from across the country at the Volkswagen PeoplePavilion in Uitenhage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Under the theme \u201cRead to Succeed\u201d, delegates and speakers shared success stories and challenges facing education in South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Education remains one of the most critical priorities to the Community Trust. The Trust has in recent years established five literacy centres at schools in Uitenhage, with the aim of ensuring that each learner in Uitenhage is functionally literate and able to read with understanding by the end of Grade 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking at the conference, Professor John Aitchison \u2013 who was called upon to review the Community Trust\u2019s programmes \u2013 underlined the importance of this goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n 78% of Grade 4 illiterate<\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n \u201cThat is a devastating finding. If education is done properly and resources are available, there is no reason a child shouldn\u2019t be reasonably literate by the end of grade 1.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nicci Hayes of Rhodes University said the Community Trust would need to focus on the role of teachers going forward, to maximise the impact of their programmes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe have to get to the heart of the matter, and the heart of the matter is the teachers,\u201d said Hayes, adding that teacher training was key to ensure the success of literacy centres.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Community Trust has partnered with the non-profit organisation Funda Wande to train teachers specifically with the purpose of empowering them to teach children to read. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \n VW Community Trust \u2013 30th year<\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Trust has also formed several partnerships in order to improve the quality of, and access to, education in Uitenhage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The conference marked the 30th anniversary of the Community Trust. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLooking into the future, the mission of the VW Community Trust is to contribute to creating a healthy, thriving and resilient community,\u201d said Thomas Schaefer, Volkswagen Group South Africa Chairman and Managing Director.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Community Trust continues to grow and evolve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is clearly reflected in the range of investments made in the past three decades in early childhood development centres, teachers and nutritional programmes, bursaries, local economic development and job creation projects,\u201d Schaefer concluded. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" CONTINUING to build on its ambitious goal of eradicating illiteracy among children under the age of 10 years, the Volkswagen Community Trust hosted its fourth annual literacy conference last 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\n \u201cApproximately 78% of children in grade 4 in South Africa cannot read,\u201d said Aitchison. <\/span>
\n <\/b>\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n