In a first for the newspaper, readers will be invited to help fund the campaign, which aims to deliver the storybooks to 2600 South African schools for free. The publishers, Oxford University Press, Maskew Miller Longman, MacMillan and Cambridge University Press, have donated 10 stories to the campaign and readers can help with the cost of publishing the storybooks and distributing them to the schools.
To donate two books readers can SMS story to 39973; each SMS costs R15. To donate four books readers can SMS story to 42973; each SMS costs R30. Readers can also club together as book clubs, schools and other community groups to sponsor multiple copies. Companies can sponsor the storybooks as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes without going the SMS route.
In consultation with the Department of Education, the 10 stories will be combined into a 132-page book. The stories, all written and illustrated by local writers and artists, are aimed at improving the reading and comprehension skills of grade R to 6 learners. An evaluation in 2004 showed that grade 6 learners had poor language skills and their reading did not meet age and grade-appropriate global standards.
Research has shown that success in life hinges on being able to make sense of the written word, and the earlier children get the hang of reading the stronger their educational foundations.
Mondli Makhanya, the editor of the Sunday Times said: “We understand the importance of teaching children when they are still young. The return on investment in a child's education starts to decline rapidly from age six and to ensure a better future for the youth of South Africa early childhood development is critical.”
