Western Cape celebrates the joy of reading aloud
6 February 2020
Schools and Western Cape Education Department (WCED) officials joined millions of readers, writers and listeners around the world on Wednesday, 5 February 2020 in spreading the joy and power of reading aloud and sharing stories.
World Read Aloud Day was founded by Litworld in 2010 and it has since evolved into a global movement.
According to Litword, World Read Aloud Day was celebrated by millions of people in over 170 countries last year. In South Africa, Nal’ibali, a national reading-for-enjoyment campaign, called on the public to help Nal'ibali break its read-aloud record by reading to two million children.
In the Western Cape, Natalie Southgate, a Curriculum Support Officer in the Metro Central Education District, challenged officials in the district to create an opportunity for all learners to fall in love with books. Southgate said officials accepted the challenge with great enthusiasm and she now had the mammoth task of collating information on where and who officials read to, as well as what books they read to the children.
Vernon Koen, a Library Advisor in the Metro East Education District, was tasked with coordinating World Read Aloud Day activities in the district and said he couldn’t wait to gather information on how the day was celebrated.
Southgate added that the initiative to make reading fun for learners will continue throughout the year.
