by TINTSWALO BALOYI
JOHANNESBURG, (CAJ News) – MCDONALD’S South Africa is donating over 1 million children’s books to deprived schools and early childhood development (ECD) centres across the country.
This coincides with South Africa marking Literacy Month, commemorated in September.
Sechaba Motsieloa, Marketing Director at McDonald’s South Africa said, “Our mission is to ensure all children, no matter their background, can access the joy of reading.”
The official said McDonald’s South Africa’s donation of over 1 million books to underprivileged schools was a significant contribution to education and fosters a love for reading, which can have long-lasting benefits for children.
According to the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study, which evaluated the reading ability of 400 000 students globally in 2021, South Africa ranked last out of 57 countries assessed, with eight out of ten South African school children struggling to read by the age of ten.
The study showed that 81 percent of South African children could not read for comprehension in any of the country’s eleven official languages.
“The ongoing literacy crisis in South Africa requires that organisations who care about the future of this country contribute towards encouraging a love and culture of reading,” said Motsieloa.
– CAJ News