- Goodhope Seminary Junior School has opened its new Rainbow Library.
- The library, supported by the Otto Foundation, aims to cultivate a love for reading among the 446 learners.
- With a dedicated librarian and engaging resources, the school hopes to inspire students and enhance their academic performance.
The saying that a book is a gift you can open again and again got a new meaning for learners at Goodhope Seminary Junior School with the opening of their brand-new library.
The brightly coloured Rainbow Library, housed in a former unused classroom, is now a welcoming space cultivating a love for reading. The 446 learners at the school now have access to hundreds of books from children’s literature to fiction and non-fiction educational material thanks to the Otto Foundation. The Foundation aims to improve early literacy by encouraging children to read for enjoyment.
Wayne Cicilie, principal at the school, said there was a desperate need for a fully equipped library.
“We had a library before this, but it wasn’t fully functional. We had no librarian. Now we have all kinds of educational material and whatever projects the teachers do in the classroom, the information is given to the librarian beforehand, and they do research for the learners and the Foundation brings additional material if needed to assist with the curriculum.”
Cicilie emphasised the importance of a library.
“The learners need to develop a love for reading because that is where the problem starts, learners can’t read. If they can’t read, then they can’t write and if they can’t write they can’t do the question papers.”
He said learners loved their new library.
Cicilie expressed his gratitude to the organisations for their assistance. “I was speechless when I saw all the books. I never expected this to happen so soon. They worked hard; even during the holiday, we had people here doing the renovations.”
He said like all schools they face financial constraints and appealed to parents to pay their children’s school fees.
Nonikiwe Mashologu, director of partnerships at the Otto Foundation, said they also upgraded Goodhope Seminary High School’s library last year.
She explained that they partnered with The Bookery and decided to refurbish the space. Bookery is an organisation that promotes reading by providing books to libraries in under-resourced communities.
“We decided to update the catalogue and made the space a bit more engaging and inviting to attract more children.”
Mashologu explained that they want to make reading fun and engaging for children.
“We want to promote reading for enjoyment, we have quite a big literature issue in our country, so our programmes seek to address that. It has been shown that reading for enjoyment also over time contributes to academic performance.”
According to Mashologu, they currently only cover schools within the City Bowl area.
“We want to provide access to a wide variety of books so that children are able to see themselves in the books that they read and are able to be inspired.”
