Two teachers from Cape Town High School who wanted to instil a love for reading in their pupils have started a book club and transformed an old classroom into a little library.
The library was formed with the work of about 30 pupils from the book club who made posters, packed books donated by the community, and created a space for with all things books and literature.
And now that it is “up and running”, they need assistance to grow it into a fully functional library that will serve the school.
The idea for the book club and library came about when recently appointed economic management and science (EMS) and isiXhosa teacher, Aphiwe Sigadi, gathered a group of pupils at the school, who were interested in publishing a book of poems and creative expression. He realised during workshops with them that they couldn’t really write if they were not reading regularly.
“Reading is a universal struggle, and there is a decrease in the love of reading in this generation with the use of technology.”
With donations from the community and with the help of the pupils’ book club, they located an old classroom and adorned it with posters, packed books, moved in some shelving and created a makeshift administration system with the help of life orientation and history teacher, Terri Hendricks.
The pupils also created a system through which pupils can borrow books for a maximum of two weeks, tracking them with a hand-written log.
Ms Hendricks, with her keen love for art, also organises outings to galleries, libraries and exhibitions to “get the creative juices flowing”. She said that she created a subdivision within the book club for art and literature.
She said the school had previously had a library, but it was not functional and enjoyable for the pupils.
She said with the new library, students were more hands-on – creating an atmosphere that encourages a love of reading “like it used to be”, and keeps the passion for literature alive.
Mr Sigadi added that having the pupils involved gives them a sense of responsibility, and makes it their own to manage and look after.
Three Grade 9 pupils who form part of the book club are Oyama Dunjwa, 14, from Delft, Oratile Dwayi,15, from Mandalay and Landa Mbangi,15, from Eersterivier.
Oratile helps with managing the lending of books, making sure they are tracked correctly and returned. Landa said he is like the security guard, making sure no books leave the library undocumented and untracked, and Omaya helps with packing books, among other duties.
Oratile said the library allows pupils to borrow books and have a sense of community where they can talk about books and share their ideas.
He said when he first joined, he found the club to be vibrant and close-knit.
Landa said he always had a love for books and reading, and felt that the book club was a perfect place for “nerds like himself”. “I’ve felt this sense of camaraderie between myself and other book-clubbers.”
Oratile said the group was very encouraging, even when they don’t understand words during discussions.
Landa said the book club helped him expand his vocabulary and even improved his English marks, while Oratile said it helped him speak better in oral presentations. He has a stutter, but practising at the book club has given him more confidence, he added.
Oyama said the book club gave him more confidence to read out loud, as he struggles with this.
They said they would love to see the library grow, and will need a bigger space, computers, and more books.
“Computers will be very useful for students to finish assignments or do research and look for books and words.”
Mr Sigadi said they also needed a proper circulation system that will help them track books better, and also issue library cards to the learners.
If you want to donate to the Cape Town High School library, contact Mr Sigadi at aphiwesigadi637@gmail.com or call the school at 021 4242168.
Donations can also be dropped off at the school at 96 Hatfield Road, Gardens.
