Lindiwe Mathebula
The first Boks for Books Library is launched in Thaba Nchu, east of Bloemfontein in the Free State. This follows an initiative by South African Rugby Union (Saru) in an effort to help children to learn how to read.
With a mere 8% of the nation’s schools having functional libraries, Saru opted to afford learners with the opportunity to read.
Moipone Primary School is the beneficiary of the library, which is fully stocked with books and audiovisual equipment, including a television and a computer.
Saru’s Senior Manager for Government and Stakeholder relations, Khaya Mayedwa, says they identified the Free State as a rugby orientated province. Literacy and the South African pass rate need to improve, said Saru’s Khaya Mayedwa.
Saru worked closely with the Department of Education in identifying needy schools where there is limited access to information when learners get to their homes.
Similar libraries have been launched in KwaZulu-Natal, the Eastern Cape, Gauteng and the Western Cape.
