The CEAD continues its efforts to empower primary school pupils with reading skills. On 19 June 2025, members of the directorate, other University staff, and officials from the Department of Education, and supporters of the reading project were at Mariannridge Primary School, near Pinetown, where they continued with the primary schools English reading project. Now in its second edition for 2025, the MUT Reading Project Competition continues to provide a nurturing space for learners to develop essential literacy skills. The competition promotes a deeper culture of reading across classrooms in Umlazi and Pinetown Districts, laying the groundwork for long-term educational success.
The project is a brainchild of the CEAD and aims to empower the pupils of the Umlazi Township primary schools and others with reading skills. CEAD’s Director, Professor Busisiwe Nkonki-Mandleni, said their effort was a response to Goal Three, of the University’s Strategic Plan. Goal Three is about “excellence in community engagement”. Professor Nkonki-Mandleni said they need partners to achieve this goal. She said they are guided by a set of principles when they engage with communities. Some of these principles include reciprocity, transformation, sustainability, and ethics.
The following Umlazi Township primary schools continued to take part in the competition: Embonini, Umgijimi, KwaManzini, Ingelosi, Emthethweni, and Sukuma. Marianridge Primary School was the host. Chief Lokothwayo Primary School was an observer. This school intends to join the group. The grade four and five learners were tested on the following: fluency, expression, presentation, and volume, among other things. The grade five pupils were tested on their comprehension of what they read, which Dr David Ighodaro, the CEAD researcher, said was “reading for meaning”.
While this is a competition that results in getting winners, all the speakers highlighted the need to “close the gap”, as the principal of the host school, Thembi Mngadi, said. Mngadi also noted that the MUT logo on the trophies and certificates would remind the pupils that they needed to aim high, to reach places like MUT, to secure their future.
Saloshini Pillay, an official from the Department of Education, said that every child who participated in the event was a winner. Pillay said this because the children had gone through a gruelling selection process to get to this point; they would have demonstrated the necessary reading skills. After the pupils had individually read their stories, Pillay went back to her reason for saying that all the children were winners. “All the children deserve a round of applause. It takes a lot to read in front of people. No one mumbled,” Pillay said. Pillay went on and gave some constructive comments about the pupils’ performances. She commented on how they pronounced some of the words and noted that they needed to improve their eye contact with the audience. Pillay, a subject adviser, said reading was a big part of the curriculum.
The results of the competition were as follows: Grade 4 winners. First position was awarded to Embonini Primary School; Mariannridge Primary School took the second spot. Ingelosi Primary School was third. Embonini also took the first position in grade five, followed by Umgijimi Primary School. The host school, Mariannridge Primary School, took the third position in this category.
The overall winning schools for the competition were Mariannridge Primary School, Grade 4, and Umgijimi Primary School, Grade 5. All participants received personalised certificates, while the top-performing learners were awarded trophies. The overall winning schools were presented with roving trophies in recognition of their excellence.