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Alan
and Hilary Davies, who run a publishing company in Chester,
have been working together to help thousands of children and
adults worldwide to read, write and spell in English using a
programme called THRASS (Teaching Handwriting Reading And
Spelling Skills). In South Africa alone, the Davies’
have personally donated £40k to train lecturers, student
teachers and teachers of the deaf and, in October, they will
train the staff at Masibambane College, a school in the Orange
Farm township, south of Soweto.
Masibambane College is
located in one of the poorest and fastest growing squatter
camp communities in SA. After recently visiting the school
Alan and Hilary, impressed by the dedicated, hardworking
staff, saw that Masibambane could become a ‘Centre of
Excellence’ for the region. Along with supplying a full
range of teaching support materials and resources for more
than 600 children, they will present two days of training and
a further two days of support, including a day of
demonstration lessons.
Masibambane is a Zulu word
that embraces the idea of holding hands and building together.
Many of the school buildings have been funded by the City of
Vienna, but more needs to be done in guiding the school to
achieve a high standard in reading and spelling English.
Darryl Geffen, the headmaster of Masibambane College said,
"This gift will make a tremendous difference to the
school. We have lots of different national languages and
I know that the teaching of THRASS will make a significant
difference to the learning of English in the region. As a
country we have some major issues to tackle, including poverty
and Aids. I believe that, if South Africa is to grow and deal
with these issues, our children must be able to confidently
communicate with the rest of the world."
In June, lecturers and 130
student teachers at The University of the Witwatersrand
(Wits), Johannesburg, attended a two day training course in
THRASS and, in March, 80 teachers received free training and
resources at Fulton School for the Deaf in KwaZulu-Natal.
Alan Davies, a chartered
educational psychologist and associate fellow of the British
Psychological Society, is recognized as a world expert in the
teaching of phonics and has been invited by OFSTED on two
occasions to speak about his concerns over the teaching of
phonics in the National Literacy Strategy (NLS).
Further
information
UK:
Mike Meade, Media Director, THRASS UK 01829 741413 Mob: 07970
151 738 mikemeade@thrass.co.uk
AFRICA:
Chris Griffiths, International Development, THRASS UK +30 266
203 1207 chrisgriffiths@thrass.co.uk
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