Concerned Crew boost literacy and learning to help smash cycle of poverty

In SA, where thousands of public schools are under-serviced and lack the basic infrastructure needed to facilitate learning, this year’s World Literacy Day theme, Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces, highlights the needs of the youth.

This is according to Matthew Sterne, MD of the NPO Crew for a Cause, who said given the correlation between poor education and the cycle of poverty, achieving true equality must begin with building a literate nation.

Sterne made an urgent national call for South Africans to support initiatives that promote literacy among pupils of schoolgoing age.

“Action needs to be taken early on, during children’s formative years, to ensure they are put on a path that will see them flourish and escape a cycle of poverty and hardship. We’ve witnessed the transformative power of reading and writing first-hand in our work with financially disadvantaged pupils. Literacy is one of the bastions of a good education. If we start anywhere, we should start there,” said Sterne.

Arresting statistics paint a telling picture of literacy within SA schools. According to The Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, almost 80% of grade 4 pupils are unable to read in any language. In a league table of education, ranked by The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, SA places 75th out of 76, with 27% of pupils who have attended school for six years unable to read.

However, as Sterne argued, to look at the statistics without considering extenuating circumstances would be “short-sighted.”

He asserted: “No child can be taught to read and write in an environment that is not conducive to learning.”

For this reason this year’s theme for International Literary Day, as set by the UN, is particularly apt for developing nations like SA, which are faced with unique challenges.

Claiming the “scope is enormous” for those actively involved in working towards a solution, Sterne pointed to inequality as the root cause of the problem.

This is illustrated by the latest statistics from the national department of education, which revealed more than 18,000 public schools (out of 23,471 in total) have no library, almost 17,000 have no internet, 239 have no electricity and 37 have no sanitation facilities. These findings contrast starkly with highly favourable conditions in the country’s top ranking “wealthy” schools.

The unfortunate reality is that illiteracy is not an isolated problem but has far-reaching consequences for the livelihoods of millions of South Africans.

Research by Unicef highlights the plight of children born into poverty, who face a range of challenges their wealthy counterparts do not. Literacy and numeracy are among the top challenges faced by schoolgoing youth and form the foundation of a child’s future development and learning ability. 

Global humanitarian agency Concern Worldwide referred to education as “the great equaliser” providing access to opportunities, resources and skills that can help people thrive. For this reason, the agency argued quality education is the single most effective and sustainable solution to poverty.

In countries like SA, literacy, as a key component of quality education, is linked to the alleviation of greater social ills and, ultimately, to solving long-standing systemic issues such as inequality.

Providing financially disadvantaged pupils with quality high school education is the main objective of Crew for a Cause, which is funded exclusively by monthly donations from a members who fund bursaries for promising high school pupils.

One of these scholars is grade 11 pupil Richard Thulani*, who was successfully placed at Wynberg Boys’ High in Cape Town.

Providing his perspective on the importance of literacy, he said: “For me being literate has been very helpful in terms of education, leisure, socialising and almost all aspects of my life.

“Without the ability to read, my daily life would be much more difficult as these days we see words and writing everywhere. This would not only affect me in the present, but in the long-term too, as almost all jobs require you to be able to read. I am grateful I was taught how to read at such a young age because being able to read only came with benefits.”

Sterne said: “In pupils such as Richard, we see the tangible difference literacy and quality education can make to the future of youth. Building a nation that is well-educated is in the interests of all South Africans. May the message of this year’s World Literacy Day hit home and open minds and hearts to the importance of this cause.”

* Name has been changed to protect the identity of the pupil as per national child protection legislation.

About Crew for a Cause

Crew for a Cause is an NPO that sponsors bursaries for financially disadvantaged high school pupils to attend top-quality schools across the country. To date pupils have been placed at leading schools including Wynberg Girls’ and Bergvliet High. The bursary covers the full tuition for each pupil as well as the learning material and resources required to fully participate in the school’s offering. The “crew” consists of a pool of members who make monthly donations in support of this cause.

Becoming a member of the crew requires a donation of as little as R50 which can be contributed once-off, monthly or annually. Members are provided with regular progress updates on the pupil their donation supports, as well as reports on education-focused projects initiated by Crew for a Cause.

Article provided by Aphiwe Zamila on behalf of Crew for a Cause