By NATION REPOTER
ZAMBIA is not performing very well in terms of literacy levels and the government should continue to invest into the reading culture for the country to grow a well-informed citizenry, the Literacy Association of Zambia (LAZ) has said.
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Anna Murru, the president of LAZ says it is disheartening that the country has been lagging behind in terms of literacy levels and it is therefore imperative that Government should consider investing into the reading culture.
Ms Murru has since paid special tribute to Government, ChildFund and UNICEF, among others, for strengthening efforts to improve literacy levels in the country.
She said this at the 2023 Literacy Fair held under the theme “Celebrating the joy of reading” co-hosted by ChildFund and the LAZ.
In a statement issued by Priscilla Chama-Mpengula, the ChildFund Zambia Communications Specialist, Ms Murru said the association, formed four years ago would continue working with the government to promote literacy.
She said the Literacy Fair was meant to celebrate literacy and infuse a reading culture in children as opposed to spending more time on social media which children are more exposed to.
Ms Murru said the Literacy Fair also provided an opportunity for teachers to share skills on how they can promote reading among children.
“We have publishers, old and young authors plus a number of volunteers that turned up to support the event,” Ms Murru said.
Meanwhile, ChildFund Zambia Education Technical Manager Edith Ng’oma said ChildFund Zambia has worked with the government in promoting literacy since inception in 1983.
“Our main role is to complement what Government is doing because the Ministry of Education has been working hard to improve literacy levels in Zambia. When the Literacy Association of Zambia came up with the idea of a Literacy Fair, ChildFund was willing to support the event because we want to see every child learn how to read and write,” she said.
Ms Ng’oma said the Literacy Fair 2023 was a success because it brought together over 10 schools to share experiences on what they were doing to promote reading and writing.
“We even have children from rural areas because ChildFund tries to reach the unreachable. We feel it is a great idea to bring them to urban areas so that they can mingle with other learners. They are going to mingle, share experiences and see how others are doing things differently,” she said.
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