By Vuyelwa Mbalekwa | Khanyisa Project Overview report 2019
In 2017, Shine Literacy piloted a new programme called Khanyisa, which means ‘to ignite’ or ‘to spark’ in Xhosa. Partnering with Action Volunteers Africa (AVA) and the Western Cape Education Department’s 100 Schools Project, 90 recent matriculants were recruited and trained in our reading methodology. Trained in paired and shared reading methodology, unemployed youth are in the classroom which aims to provide every child (in the schools we are operating in) with structured time to practice reading in class to improve their reading skills. The project seeks to increase children’s exposure to levelled texts on a daily basis, with the support of a trained Reading Partner, putting reading at the core of their daily schedule in the Foundation Phase. The programme is implemented in three languages, English, Afrikaans and isiXhosa, dependent on the language of learning and teaching.
The Khanyisa Programme involves placing unemployed youth in Grade 2 or 3 classrooms for at least six months, where they are exclusively used as Reading Partners. The objective of this programme is to assist schools in establishing a culture of reading throughout the school by increasing access to exciting books, training staff in ways to promote a love of reading and making reading a daily practice. The Reading Partner ensure that each child in the class has daily individual paired reading sessions. Additionally, the Reading Partner reads a daily story to the class.
We have established classroom reading corners in 87 classrooms to date. In 2017, 90 Grade 2 classes benefitted from receiving a Khanyisa Reading Partner. In 2018, 53 Grade 2 classes benefitted from receiving a Khanyisa Reading Partner. In 2019, 25 youth Reading Partners have been placed in 39 Grade 3 classes to support the children in their reading daily. Through the programme we see 1 565 children weekly.
The pre-requisite for receiving Khanyisa Reading Partners is for the school community comprised of senior management and educators from across the school to attend a one-day workshop on how to establish a culture of reading in their school.
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