Campaign for School Libraries in South Africa

Dear President Zuma and Minister Motshekga,

I believe that school libraries are vital to quality teaching and learning.

These are five reasons why libraries matter:

1. Reading literacy: Children must learn to love reading
2. South African Curriculum: Requires resources for projects and portfolios
3. Information literacy: Learning to source information in the global knowledge economy
4. Place to Study: Young people need safe, well-lit social spaces
5. Access to information: Finding out about opportunities, careers and risks like HIV/AIDS

I therefore support EQUAL EDUCATIONS demands:
1. A library in every school
2. Human resources: A trained librarian or library administrator, working full time.
3. Books and Equipment: Expand QIDS-UP library project nationally to provide shelving, computers and three books per learner.
4. Operational Funding: Legislate for 10\% of Learning Teaching Support Materials (LTSM) funds to be dedicated for libraries
5. Teachers, parents, learners and School Governing Board members should participate in workshops about the role of the library and its place in the school program.

All schools must be provided with fully functional libraries where learners and teachers can source information and find books to read for pleasure.

This is a matter of freedom, justice and equality.