Getting Books to School Pupils in Africa: Case Studies from Ghana and Tanzania, Mali, South Africa, Mozambique, and Kenya. Education Research Paper.

One of the fundamental requirements of all educational systems is the adequate provision of relevant and appropriate reading and other instructional and learning materials for use by teachers and their pupils. A study examined some of the modalities through which the school population in Africa gains access to supplementary reading materials and to reach some conclusions on which are the most effective. Without access to reading materials, what is taught in the classroom is not reinforced and the quality and permanence of the benefits of education are endangered. Such access develops the ability to read and extends the vocabulary; develops a teaching force that is capable of moving beyond the confines of set books and textbooks; supplements and enriches work done by pupils in the classroom; encourages independent access to information and arouses the interest of pupils in matters outside the curriculum; and provides training in the use and retrieval of information, an essential skill for higher education and lifelong learning. The case studies, in Ghana and Tanzania, South Africa, Mali, Mozambique, and Kenya, showed that, of primary importance, whatever the modality, is that teachers themselves have had some training in teaching with books and are committed to the provision of supplementary reading materials. Also crucial to effectiveness is the support received at Ministry, school, and modality level. And necessary for books to be integrated with learning is proximity and constant access to books. Modalities vary from country to country with the classroom library the most common. Each separate case study contains references. An appendix outlines data collection instruments. (BT)