When I left my familiar South Carolina ground and stepped onto my flight headed to Cape Town last summer, I had many ideas of what this Ambassadorial scholarship year would mean
to me, what I would learn, and what I would take away from this truly once in a lifetime experience. I can say that this past year far exceeded any and every expectation. I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on July 21, 2010 with much anticipation and excitement after having received the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. I knew this would allow me the chance to do something completely different and challenging, and I arrived eager to use the next year as an opportunity to grow in knowledge and in my world experiences.
The Rotary scholarship allowed me to choose where I would study and engage in humanitarian work. Having recently graduated from the College of Charleston with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education (May 2010), with a plan of pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership, I decided to use this year to work in a developing nation. I chose to study at the University of Cape Town
because I saw their course offerings as a complement to my existing education, and despite the mass poverty and lack of educational underpinnings for so many of the citizens, the University is ranked by QS World University Rankings 2010 in the top 200 universities in the world. Working and studying in a developing nation where so many South Africans face educational and political issues on a large scale gave me a broader perspective of life challenges that would not have been financially possible without the scholarship.
The Ambassadorial Scholarship is Rotary International’s best known program worldwide. Its goal is to develop leaders who can address the humanitarian needs of the global community and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by increasing awareness of and respect for cultural differences. The scholarship funds students to study abroad and promotes international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. During the scholarship period, I gave presentations to Rotary clubs, civic organizations, schools, and other forums about my experiences and volunteer work in South Africa. And now that I am back in the United States, I will also give presentations about my experiences that will lead to a greater understanding of South Africa.
After arriving in South Africa, I became involved in humanitarian efforts through a number of organizations. I volunteered with SHAWCO, a campus-based student organization, whereby I worked in a local township as an art teacher for 3rd – 5th graders a few days a week. That experience was both challenging and rewarding. It allowed me to see a different side
to the daily life and struggles of children who are severely impoverished. It was through this volunteer experience that I first witnessed the struggles that most public schools in South Africa face-- low literacy rates among the children, few resources, and little community support. Being a passionate educator, I decided to do something in order to help —to build a school/ community library in this township and leverage support for its sustainability through existing organizations in South Africa. I entitled this endeavor “Project Imagine” because so many children imagine themselves as something great, but do not have the resources to achieve their dreams. To me, these children are the “obvious” children… thus the title of my blog comes full circle. As Paul Simon writes, “Why deny the obvious child?”
I first approached the Western Cape Education Foundation with the concept of building a library for a community of people in an impoverished area, and was thrilled to have received their endorsement of the concept. I developed a strategic plan (including a feasibility study, business plan and fund-raising strategy) for an E-Learning Resource Center at Hoofweg Primary School. This Center will provide access to educational opportunities to a wider community, bringing children and parents closer together. Research shows school programs that emphasize family and communities are linked to positive learner outcomes. By developing a prototype for Hoofweg, E-Learning Resource Centers in other impoverished areas in the Western Cape may be established.
The South African Literacy Problem Defined:
Official surveys reveal that South Africa’s learner outcomes rank poorly on the international stage, not only compared with learners from developed countries, but even among th
ose from less-developed parts of sub-Saharan Africa. At the root of this problem lies the issue of illiteracy. Ensuring that every public ordinary school has a stocked library serviced by a qualified full-time librarian will go a long way in combating this issue by providing access to resources otherwise unavailable to impoverished citizens. Major international studies show that, all other things being equal, the provision of a functional school library adds between 10% and 25% educational achievement to average learner outcomes. Local research illustrates a strong correlation and causal relationship between the presence of a staffed library and higher academic performance. Libraries have also been found to be a cost-effective method of improving outcomes.
Only 7.23% of public ordinary schools in South Africa have functional libraries. These are almost entirely situated in former higher socio-economic schools which are able to stock and staff these facilities through their own resources. A history of inequality, rooted in apartheid and Bantu education, underlies these unacceptable conditions largely inherited by the current government.
Empirical studies have shown South African learners lag far behind their peers in other countries. According to the PIRLS 2006 report which tested primary school learners’ reading skills in 40 nations, South Africa’s learners achieved the lowest scores. In comparison to the South Africans, 7.23% o
f whom attended schools with functional libraries, 89% of learners in the other 39 countries attended schools with functional libraries; half of the children were taking library books home on a daily basis and half made use of a central school library at least once a week. In the SACMEQ II study involving 14 sub-Saharan African countries, 49.9% of South African grade 6 learners could not understand the meaning of basic written information. Overall, South Africa ranks ninth in school learners’ reading skills behind countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, and Swaziland.
This poor national performance obscures an equally serious problem: the huge gap in literacy between the advantaged and disadvantaged sectors of South African society. In 2005, 42.1% of grade 6 learners in the Western Cape could read and write at the appropriate level. However, in schools previously classified as “white”, 86.9% met the standard in comparison to just 4.7% in formerly “black” schools. These challenges of illiteracy and inequality lie at the heart of the educational crisis in South Africa. Much research in developed and developing countries has focused on the factors which, when employed effectively, can improve the outcomes of learners. Many of these investigations have pointed to the positive causal relationship between the performance of learners and the provision of school libraries. In a major international study, for instance, researchers concluded that, all other things being equal, student performance increases by between 10% and 25% when a stocked, staffed and fully-funded library is in operation within a school.
Today, it is common knowledge that libraries are an integral part of the education process. They work hand-in-hand with the school curriculum especially in grades where the use of w
ritten resources is expected; they provide a quiet, safe, well-lit spaces where learners can study and expand their knowledge; they act as vital reference points for young people in need of guidance, whether it be in relation to their personal interests, careers, or even their mental and physical health; they significantly improve the outcomes of teachers and learners alike; and, perhaps most importantly, they promote information literacy, a hunger for knowledge and a love of reading. In South Africa’s Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter, it is stated that:
As institutions of reading, libraries contribute significantly to a culture of reading with an emphasis also on writing and learning. Although reading occurs both inside and outside of libraries, they play the leading role in building a nation of life-long readers. In addition to their educational and cultural roles, libraries contribute to economic development by improving productivity through a reading and functionally literate workforce.
Expected Outcome of Project Imagine:
to me, what I would learn, and what I would take away from this truly once in a lifetime experience. I can say that this past year far exceeded any and every expectation. I arrived in Cape Town, South Africa on July 21, 2010 with much anticipation and excitement after having received the Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship. I knew this would allow me the chance to do something completely different and challenging, and I arrived eager to use the next year as an opportunity to grow in knowledge and in my world experiences.The Rotary scholarship allowed me to choose where I would study and engage in humanitarian work. Having recently graduated from the College of Charleston with a Master’s degree in Elementary Education (May 2010), with a plan of pursuing a doctorate in Educational Leadership, I decided to use this year to work in a developing nation. I chose to study at the University of Cape Town
because I saw their course offerings as a complement to my existing education, and despite the mass poverty and lack of educational underpinnings for so many of the citizens, the University is ranked by QS World University Rankings 2010 in the top 200 universities in the world. Working and studying in a developing nation where so many South Africans face educational and political issues on a large scale gave me a broader perspective of life challenges that would not have been financially possible without the scholarship.The Ambassadorial Scholarship is Rotary International’s best known program worldwide. Its goal is to develop leaders who can address the humanitarian needs of the global community and advance world understanding, goodwill, and peace by increasing awareness of and respect for cultural differences. The scholarship funds students to study abroad and promotes international understanding and friendly relations among people of different countries and geographical areas. During the scholarship period, I gave presentations to Rotary clubs, civic organizations, schools, and other forums about my experiences and volunteer work in South Africa. And now that I am back in the United States, I will also give presentations about my experiences that will lead to a greater understanding of South Africa.
After arriving in South Africa, I became involved in humanitarian efforts through a number of organizations. I volunteered with SHAWCO, a campus-based student organization, whereby I worked in a local township as an art teacher for 3rd – 5th graders a few days a week. That experience was both challenging and rewarding. It allowed me to see a different side
to the daily life and struggles of children who are severely impoverished. It was through this volunteer experience that I first witnessed the struggles that most public schools in South Africa face-- low literacy rates among the children, few resources, and little community support. Being a passionate educator, I decided to do something in order to help —to build a school/ community library in this township and leverage support for its sustainability through existing organizations in South Africa. I entitled this endeavor “Project Imagine” because so many children imagine themselves as something great, but do not have the resources to achieve their dreams. To me, these children are the “obvious” children… thus the title of my blog comes full circle. As Paul Simon writes, “Why deny the obvious child?”I first approached the Western Cape Education Foundation with the concept of building a library for a community of people in an impoverished area, and was thrilled to have received their endorsement of the concept. I developed a strategic plan (including a feasibility study, business plan and fund-raising strategy) for an E-Learning Resource Center at Hoofweg Primary School. This Center will provide access to educational opportunities to a wider community, bringing children and parents closer together. Research shows school programs that emphasize family and communities are linked to positive learner outcomes. By developing a prototype for Hoofweg, E-Learning Resource Centers in other impoverished areas in the Western Cape may be established.
The South African Literacy Problem Defined:
Official surveys reveal that South Africa’s learner outcomes rank poorly on the international stage, not only compared with learners from developed countries, but even among th
ose from less-developed parts of sub-Saharan Africa. At the root of this problem lies the issue of illiteracy. Ensuring that every public ordinary school has a stocked library serviced by a qualified full-time librarian will go a long way in combating this issue by providing access to resources otherwise unavailable to impoverished citizens. Major international studies show that, all other things being equal, the provision of a functional school library adds between 10% and 25% educational achievement to average learner outcomes. Local research illustrates a strong correlation and causal relationship between the presence of a staffed library and higher academic performance. Libraries have also been found to be a cost-effective method of improving outcomes.Only 7.23% of public ordinary schools in South Africa have functional libraries. These are almost entirely situated in former higher socio-economic schools which are able to stock and staff these facilities through their own resources. A history of inequality, rooted in apartheid and Bantu education, underlies these unacceptable conditions largely inherited by the current government.
Empirical studies have shown South African learners lag far behind their peers in other countries. According to the PIRLS 2006 report which tested primary school learners’ reading skills in 40 nations, South Africa’s learners achieved the lowest scores. In comparison to the South Africans, 7.23% o
f whom attended schools with functional libraries, 89% of learners in the other 39 countries attended schools with functional libraries; half of the children were taking library books home on a daily basis and half made use of a central school library at least once a week. In the SACMEQ II study involving 14 sub-Saharan African countries, 49.9% of South African grade 6 learners could not understand the meaning of basic written information. Overall, South Africa ranks ninth in school learners’ reading skills behind countries including Mozambique, Tanzania, and Swaziland.This poor national performance obscures an equally serious problem: the huge gap in literacy between the advantaged and disadvantaged sectors of South African society. In 2005, 42.1% of grade 6 learners in the Western Cape could read and write at the appropriate level. However, in schools previously classified as “white”, 86.9% met the standard in comparison to just 4.7% in formerly “black” schools. These challenges of illiteracy and inequality lie at the heart of the educational crisis in South Africa. Much research in developed and developing countries has focused on the factors which, when employed effectively, can improve the outcomes of learners. Many of these investigations have pointed to the positive causal relationship between the performance of learners and the provision of school libraries. In a major international study, for instance, researchers concluded that, all other things being equal, student performance increases by between 10% and 25% when a stocked, staffed and fully-funded library is in operation within a school.
Today, it is common knowledge that libraries are an integral part of the education process. They work hand-in-hand with the school curriculum especially in grades where the use of w
ritten resources is expected; they provide a quiet, safe, well-lit spaces where learners can study and expand their knowledge; they act as vital reference points for young people in need of guidance, whether it be in relation to their personal interests, careers, or even their mental and physical health; they significantly improve the outcomes of teachers and learners alike; and, perhaps most importantly, they promote information literacy, a hunger for knowledge and a love of reading. In South Africa’s Library and Information Services (LIS) Transformation Charter, it is stated that:As institutions of reading, libraries contribute significantly to a culture of reading with an emphasis also on writing and learning. Although reading occurs both inside and outside of libraries, they play the leading role in building a nation of life-long readers. In addition to their educational and cultural roles, libraries contribute to economic development by improving productivity through a reading and functionally literate workforce.
Expected Outcome of Project Imagine:
Literacy remains a challenge in disadvantaged communities. The focus of the Western Cape Education Department (WCED) for the period 2010-2019 is to improve the reading, writing and calculating abilities of learners. The E-Learning Resource Centre will assist the WCED in achieving its objectives through this replicable model for elementary schools.
Project Imagine i
s designed to provide enhanced digital and print media-based learning for the pupils and teachers at the host school, the network of surrounding schools and the wider community. The facility will support the education challenges of many disadvantaged schools regarding library and ICT resources and infrastructure.
The Center will be the mainstream teaching resource for grade 4-7 learners with the school equipping their existing media center room for foundation phase learners. The Center will be fully integrated into the host school’s program in the mornings and open for afternoon use to surrounding schools and the community. Oversight of the facility is the responsibility of the host school with support from a facility management team including WCED and donor representation.
Conclusion:
Looking back on my year as Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar I feel incredibly thankful and honored to have had so many diverse experiences and met so many inspiring people during my time in South Africa. I am now entering my doctorate program for Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I truly believe my experiences as a scholar are what helped me to gain admission into a top notch school and program.
This scholarship period has given me an immense appreciation for Rotary and their many efforts to make this world a better place. This past year was truly life-changing for me. The places I've seen, the relationships I've built, the lessons I've learned are all cherished pieces of me that I will never forget.
Why deny the obvious child?
Project Imagine i
s designed to provide enhanced digital and print media-based learning for the pupils and teachers at the host school, the network of surrounding schools and the wider community. The facility will support the education challenges of many disadvantaged schools regarding library and ICT resources and infrastructure.The Center will be the mainstream teaching resource for grade 4-7 learners with the school equipping their existing media center room for foundation phase learners. The Center will be fully integrated into the host school’s program in the mornings and open for afternoon use to surrounding schools and the community. Oversight of the facility is the responsibility of the host school with support from a facility management team including WCED and donor representation.
Conclusion:
Looking back on my year as Rotary Ambassadorial Scholar I feel incredibly thankful and honored to have had so many diverse experiences and met so many inspiring people during my time in South Africa. I am now entering my doctorate program for Educational Leadership at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. I truly believe my experiences as a scholar are what helped me to gain admission into a top notch school and program.
This scholarship period has given me an immense appreciation for Rotary and their many efforts to make this world a better place. This past year was truly life-changing for me. The places I've seen, the relationships I've built, the lessons I've learned are all cherished pieces of me that I will never forget.
Why deny the obvious child?
