ENGLISH LITERACY PROJECT OVERVIEW 

1. Promotion of Literacy

A reading nation is a winning nation. Literacy is the cornerstone of any successful nation. Mobilizing every teacher as a literacy teacher, infusing a culture of reading in schools, recognizing and rewarding literacy efforts, changing the physical environment of the school to reflect values of literacy. Resourcing and enriching schools reading books, measuring and tracking reading at learner level.

2. Community Based Literacy Drive

 The only way to achieve an acceptable literacy level is by involving the community at every level. Identification of key contact points for community members like churches, clubs, and other strategic vantage points to erect imposing Billboards with carefully crafted messages. Capitalising on key pressure points to communicate behavior change messages, Workshops to educate parents on their role as change agents, infusing a culture of leading by example in reading, improving community reading inclination. Measuring parental involvement effectiveness per learner.

3. Employment Creation

Asset Based Community Development through identifying and incorporating former grade 12 learners who are unoccupied at home to be Read leaders in the schools. Read Leaders mandated to drive Cultural Activities like drama, debating, public speaking, poetry, and spellings. Read Leader Bursary Program avails an opportunity for the co-opted Grade 12 Learner to enroll for distance learning on a teaching degree program, supervised and mentored by Mine is Education.

4. Changing Classroom Appearance

In her novel “Maru”, a South African writer Bessie Head made an observation, “Environment everything, heredity nothing”. A child who learns in a classroom that has naked walls is bound to be academically empty. We believe in the power of visuals hence every school will be provided with basic wall charts that will leave an imprint into the child’s mind and enhance the child’s literacy levels. Activities include use of charts to educate academically, instill and foster discipline, engage on teenage matters, create a platform to express and communicate excellence, shine pieces workman of excellence etc.

5. Foundation Phase Focus

“A foundation laid on a rock endures forever  and can carry any weight”  The metaphor has found its application in Mine is Education in which focus and attention is given to foundation and  intermediate phase learners to influence and measure the inclination to reading at a tender age.

6. Teacher Development

Teacher Development is the Cornerstone and epitome of the Program In each school. Deployment of a Facilitator to apply a sustained Teacher Development Program along with mentoring of Read Leaders plays a pivotal role to achievement of literacy goals.

7. Revival of the Reading Culture

The Department of Basic Education has a policy that encourages reading but practically it is apparent that teachers do not put the required effort to make it work. We demand for a DEAR (Drop Everything And Read) period in every school we operate in and our facilitator in partnership with the school’s SMT will ensure that reading takes place at least a 30 minute period per week/cycle.

8. Material Development

Ongoing reading material writing customized to reading abilities as unveiled by baseline assessments. This is achieved through developing literature that will be more contextual to the learner’s environment. This helps the learner to value the information that appeals to his/her background.

9. Mobile Libraries

Material packaged according to the needs of the classes and schools into Mobile Libraries.

Mine is Education operates in schools under resourced. Teaching aids, learning solutions and materials are key to optima delivery of our programs. Our Product Strategy entails partnering with accredited stakeholders to provide:

• Mobile Libraries for Literacy.
• Textbooks and Stationery
• People – the teacher is the greatest resource at Mine is Education
• Positive Attitude – Mine is Education is about the concept of self-esteem and YES attitude, the concept of self-image comes packaged per each grade.
• Material developed for learner level

A mobile library is a unit made of mild steel and have four heavy-duty castors with rubber tyres, operating on roller bearings to enhance its mobility. It is an affordable, compact, mobile and durable library unit developed specifically with a view of alleviating the need for reading material and resources by bringing library facilities within reach of the end-users. It’s a medium to long term solution to a lack of libraries in most of public schools. Its cost-effective and offers a sufficient storage solution and contents are secured. It also requires an extremely short roll-out and implementation.

10. CULTURAL ACTIVITIES

• Drama / Performing Arts
• Poetry
• Debate / Public Speaking
• Spelling
• Community Based Debating Societies

These cultural activities are contextually tailor-made to address community -based issues with which learners can identify. They are meant to instill confidence orally and build self-esteem. School assemblies are to be used as platforms (points of contact) to groom public speakers, poets, actors and debaters.

 

Monitoring and Evaluation

A high resourcing strategy is implemented to ensure performance is accurately measured. Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists allocated according to the density and scope of work. Monitoring and Evaluation is prioritized to achieve the targets agreed upon with Funders.