The Times' Phendulani Literacy Quiz gets underway this week

Founder of the quiz, Marj Brown says, "Phendulani was started because there is a lack of basic literacy in South Africa. There is an urgent need to enhance the comprehension skills of learners who do not have access to libraries and reading material to help educate them. The quiz is a fun way to get children involved and excited about reading."

Through generous donations from individuals, publishers and funds raised by better-resourced schools, more than 1,000 books were donated in support of the quiz. The book list includes: Diary of a Wimpy Kid; Children's Madiba; The Christmas Mystery; Mr Nobody's Eyes; and The Girl Who Married a Ghost. Learners began reading the list of 21 books in April and will be tested on questions based on themes from each book. The questions are co-ordinated by Brown, and the themes for 2014 are: Courage; Life Lessons; School and Family Life; and Folk Tales.

Prizes in the form of books/book vouchers to the value of R7,5k

The Phendulani Literacy Quiz takes place from 17 September to 31 October in five regions across the country, including schools in Port Elizabeth, Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban and Pietermaritzburg. Prizes in the form of books or book vouchers to the value of R7,500 are being donated by The Times - the main sponsor of the event - for regional winners. The books donated for the quiz will form the start of, or addition to, library resources that will be made available to all the learners at each school.

Susan Russell, GM: Marketing at Times Media, says, "Providing learners with the resources to educate themselves is a small price to pay in comparison to the valuable lessons that they'll be able to take home through reading. We are proud to be associated with this project and are committed to contributing to the overall development of literacy in our country."

Brown concludes, "It is exciting to witness another year of the quiz and I look forward to seeing this initiative grow. The support we have received thus far has been phenomenal, but we need more educators who are willing to get involved. Our aim is to expand the quiz to as many schools as possible that have not yet had the opportunity to participate, especially in the Western Cape."

Brown is liaising with NGOs and businesses that supply container libraries to schools, with a view to expanding the quiz into these schools.