Wind farm sparks young minds

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In a bid to mitigate what has become known as the 'Grade 4 reading slump', reading clubs are being piloted across Eastern Cape schools, through funding from the Jeffreys Bay Wind Farm's Foundation Phase Literacy Programme.

The first of the clubs was launched in time for International Literacy Day on 8 September. Its aim is to highlight the importance of literacy to individuals, communities and societies.

The clubs will be piloted at four of the 12 schools participating in the wind farm's literacy programme. The schools include Laerskool Gamtoosvallei, St Patrick's Primary School, Pellsrus Primary School and Hankey Primary School.

The wind farm's economic development director Marion Green-Thompson said during the first three grades of school, pupils learnt to read, but thereafter they were expected to read to learn.

"This is a huge jump, with young readers being confronted with textbooks, a wider range of subjects, and more complex content than they experienced in the Foundation Phase," Green-Thompson said.

"For many children, the opportunity and the desire to read for pleasure is reduced, and reading becomes associated with struggling and difficulty.

"The result is that children are left behind, and the reading gap increases," she said.

"We would like to help encourage reading for pleasure after the Foundation Phase, hence we will be piloting Grade 4 reading clubs that provide children with an exciting selection of interesting age-and stage-appropriate books, which they borrow to read at home."

Schools within a 20-50km radius of the wind farm will be supported by the literacy programme. These include Chigwell, Gamtoosvallei, Graslaagte, Kruisfontein, Patensie, Quagga, St Patrick's, Vukani, Weston, Sea Vista, Hankey and Pellsrus primary schools.

The programme is expected to reach hundreds of pupils, and it is hoped that they will in turn influence their families and communities to regain a love for reading, as the programme continues to expand.

Source: Herald