If you carry the word you can change the world!

MY NAME IS BAYANDA MAZWI AND I AM DOING GRADE 8 AT KWAMFUNDO SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOL, IN KHAYELITSHA.

Do you know how many children are out there whose lives depend on knowledge? Do you know they are not getting knowledge? But their belief and hope and demand is to get good education.

In Khayelitsha out of 54 schools less than 5 have libraries that work. In Mitchells Plain and Manenberg they also suffer the same. In South Africa only 7% of schools have libraries that work.

Children should learn to love reading, but how is that supposed to be when they don’t have a school library?

A library is place where learners can get source of information and find books they need.

Young people need to know how to select the good out of the bad information. A library should not only be where we find information but even a place where we debate, find ideas and open our minds. We need to develop and teach each other about things like career choices, STI’s and our legal rights. In Equal Education we know our rights and that is why we are marching today.

In any school, the performance of all learners increases by 10% to25% when a funded and stocked library is added to a school.

I get 75% in history. But if my school had a library I would be getting 85% or 100%!

That is why young people need resources, books and equipment. That is why learners, teacher, parents need to be informed on the value of school libraries.

What is this education we are searching for in libraries? A good should make the very best of children personalities, talents, mental and physical abilities.

All this education is based on reading and writing. How can our careers and lives belong to us if we can’t read and write?

You have to listen to what you read in order to remember the words. If you carry the word you can change the world. Keep an open mind, avoid interruption, don’t be defensive, refrain from judging others and listen in the way you would like other to listen to you.

And that’s why we need to stand up and demand what belongs to us! Education!
 

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This speech was delivered on September 22, 2009 at City Hall, Cape Town.