By Levy Masiteng
As International Literacy Day is commemorated on Monday, Ricardo Mackenzie the provincial Minister of Cultural Affairs and Sport, urged residents of the Western Cape to join their local libraries and cultivate a love for reading.
According to the province’s Department of Cultural Affairs and Sport (DCAS), they have been working tirelessly to promote literacy through various programs and interventions.
In a statement DCAS said the province has 375 public library service points, 229 rural libraries which provides free internet through over 1,500 workstations and free Wi-Fi access at 180 libraries.
When it comes to materials, they said they have 160,307 hard copy books which were procured in the last financial year, 36,968 e-books, audiobooks, and online magazines that are available for access.
For the blind and visually the department impaired 37 mini-libraries with 275,194 e-books and 80,990 audiobooks circulated in the past year.
“Thousands more benefit annually from library storytimes, school class visits, book clubs, reading quizzes, writing competitions, and study support initiatives,” the government said.
Mackenzie in a statement emphasised that public libraries are more than just buildings with books but they are springboards into learning, opportunity, and hope.
“On International Literacy Day, we celebrate the everyday heroes—our librarians, volunteers, parents, and young people—who keep the flame of reading alive,” he said.
Mackenzie continued to say the DCAS aims to build a culture of reading in the province, with library literacy programs directly supporting over 600 residents this year.
He invited every resident to visit their local library, borrow a book or download an e-book, join a reading circle, and sign up for the ALMAL Book Club.
“Reading opens doors—at school, at work and in life,” Mackenzie proudly said.
INSIDE EDUCATION
