Fostering Decolonization, Reading and Multilingualism through Book Donation: A Case Study of One Primary School in South Africa
Siphelele Mbatha 
& Mosebetsi Mokoena
Issue: Vol.5 No.6 Issue Article 1 pp.798-813
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024561 | Published online 4th June, 2024
© 2024 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
Despite the UNESCO declaration of literacy and access to primary education as a fundamental human right, many developing countries still face low literacy levels, limited access to reading material and poor reading culture. This can arguably be used to explain why children from developing countries are (according to large-scale studies such as Progress in International Reading Competency Study) performing below the expected standard compared to those from developed countries. While the low literacy levels are not solely attributed to limited access to reading material, the researchers argue that exploring the positive impacts of book donation will, in one way or the other, subvert the issue around low reading competency levels, and advance multilingualism as well as curriculum decolonization. This paper, therefore, discusses how decolonialism, reading and multilingualism are concurrently developed and realized through book donation. Using the decolonial thought theory as a lens, a qualitative design and case study approach were followed to explore how teachers used donated books to foster decolonization and advance reading as well as multilingualism in their classrooms. Three teachers from one rural primary school participated in the semi-structured interviews. Data was analyzed thematically. The findings revealed that the donated books written by university students empowered teachers to decolonize lesson presentations. In addition, the study found that the different languages in which the donated books were written promoted multilingualism. Finally, teachers reported learners’ interest in reading the donated books written by university students. This study concluded that it is important to evaluate the practice of book donation considering the current debates around decolonization, low reading competencies and multilingualism.
Keywords: Book Donation; Decolonization, Primary Schools, Rural, Multilingualism
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Siphelele Mbatha is a Lecturer at the University of the Free State, South Africa. His research interests lie in the teaching and learning of isiZulu literacy in childhood and adult education, correctional adult early literacy and numeracy as well as adult education as the behaviour rehabilitation strategy in correctional centre facilities. His research advocates for the intellectualization of isiZulu as the Language of Learning and Teaching in childhood and in adult education spaces. He has published in national and international journals.
Dr. Mosebetsi Mokoena is a Senior Lecturer at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. His research interests lie in teaching and learning English as an additional language, advancing school enrichment programs and self-directed learning in rural contexts. His research advocates for appreciative lenses and emancipatory approaches towards rurality and rural education. He has published in national and international journals, book chapters and conference proceedings.
Mbatha, Siphelele & Mosebetsi Mokoena. “Fostering Decolonization, Reading and Multilingualism through Book Donation: A Case Study of One Primary School in South Africa,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 5, no.6 (2024): 798-813. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.2024561
© 2024 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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