Twelve of the most isolated rural schools in the Soutpansberg area of the Vhembe district last weekend had the inspiring and uplifting experience of a re-visit by members of the national Rally to Read program.

Rally to Read is a joint project involving members of the South African business community and 150 rural schools, organized annually by the READ Educational Trust, McCarthy Limited and the Financial Mail. The sponsors and project partners of the rally include major business competitors from all sectors of the business world who co-operate in the interest of this worthy cause.

The 12 Limpopo schools, FeFe, Gogogo, Gombani, Kharivha, Khomela, Madatshitshi, Mangwele, Mavhode, Sane, Tshishiru, Tshiendeulu and Tshitandani, educate a total of 1 648 learners and there are 60 teachers in these schools. The average size class is 27 learners.

The schools were supported by the rally three years ago and were revisited last weekend in terms of the Maintaining the Momentum programme of the rally, which adds a fourth year to the comittment. Rally members checked on the progress at the schools and offered support for an additional year. Additional books and other educational materials were delivered to the schools and all teachers will attend training courses and receive classroom support visits.

The unique Rally to Read programme is considered to be the most significant (and exciting) upliftment programme for rural education in South Africa.

The programme started 12 years ago and has since invested R37 million into improving literacy levels of young children in all parts of the country.

Rally participants in their convoys of off-road vehicles deliver selected educational material to the country’s most remote and neglected schools and interact with the learners and teachers, who will benefit from the books and subsequent professional development which is provided for three years by the READ Educational Trust.

This year’s Rally to Read consists of 10 rallies in eight provinces. Some 80 sponsors have contributed R5 million to fund this years programme. These sponsors are represented by over 1 300 participants who utilize their 420 off-road vehicles to deliver R3,5 million worth of books to 150 schools countrywide . Their visit kickstarts a teacher development programme, worth R2 million, aimed at improving the reading and writing skills of approximately 35 748 learners. The programme will also enhance the skills of nearly 1 220 teachers countrywide.

Science equipment is also delivered to schools and an additional programme, “The Business of Running a School,” continues to be run for school principals. In addition, stationery for teachers and learners, sports equipment, water bottles, sweets, scarves, wall clocks and dental kits for the children are delivered.

In Limpopo, the books which were delivered last weekend are aimed at all grades and include fiction and non-fiction books which can be used for literacy and reference purposes. The investment in educational materials in the form of 42 box libraries containing an average of 7 000 se-lected books each is R294 000.

The formal training courses and in-classroom support by READ trainers is funded by R168 000. A READ representative will dedicate 64 days during the rest of the year to ensure the skills of teachers are maximised and that children are given the opportunity to learn to love reading.