ABET takes literacy to the people

Dean of the Faculty of Education Prof Thobeka Mda (left to right), Prof David Mosoma, vice-principal: research and planning, Ms Barbara Payne, DFID senior education adviser and Mr Duncan Hindle, deputy director-general of the Department of Education, were the main speakers during the event

A ground-breaking literacy campaign was recently launched by Unisa's Adult Basic Education and Training Institute (Abet) in partnership with the national Department of Education.

Mr Duncan Hindle, deputy director-general of the Department of Education, said the initiative was aimed at reducing the level of illiteracy throughout the country by at least 35 per cent by 2004.
"It is an important exercise and a major part of the department's strategy," he said. Referring to the campaign as "breaking the back of illiteracy" among adults and the youth, Mr Hindle said that the campaign was motivated by a desire to contribute to the communities and to improving their quality of life.

The event was enlivened by the scintillating musical performances by Yvonne Chaka Chaka who also launched a literacy song. Populary known as the Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, gave a heart-rending performance in memory of the late Mr Mike Sarakinsky, who passed away days after they recorded the song. A minute of silence and a short prayer were observed in respect for Mr Sarakinsky who, according to the speakers, played a major role in pulling off the deal between ABET and the Department of Education.

According to Professor Veronica McKay, the Abet Institute had been approached by the education department's agent, the South African National Literacy Initiative (SANLI), to form a partnership. The institute, with its vast resources, would assist SANLI in achieving its goal of reaching a target of two million adults and in ensuring that two million adult learners would complete the literacy programme by 2004.

"The project will involve about 200 well-trained tutors and more than 20 000 qualified ABET practitioners, many of whom are currently unemployed," said Prof McKay.

As the campaign is intended for pre-Abet and level one learners, the focus would be mainly on three areas of learning, namely the mother tongues of learners, the language of the local economy (mostly English) and numeracy. The course will be run every six months for a target number of 75 000 learners per semester.The British aid organisation DFID has donated R27 million to fund the campaign