“Reading gives you an escape. The world of books is an incredible one; it opens the world to you, It’s magic," said Madeleine Schoeman, principal of Ntsika Secondary School who was speaking on Friday 16 August at the official the opening of the school’s library.
“Reading gives you an escape. The world of books is an incredible one; it opens the world to you, It’s magic," said Madeleine Schoeman, principal of Ntsika Secondary School who was speaking on Friday 16 August at the official the opening of the school’s library.
"Instead of becoming involved with everything that does not grow you, rather read and get involved with the library,” she urged pupils.
The library was sponsored by the Henderson Trust and administered to Ntsika by the Friends of the Library. The Henderson Trust made R25 000 available, which went into buying books and stationery.
“The library has been dormant for years,” said Ncumisa Ngqoyiya, one of the teachers and a trainee librarian. “The books were not properly catalogued, and children complained that they couldn’t find what they needed. We want to help our pupils to overcome their fear of the library and reading and I’m thankful to Friends of the Library for their help and support.”
The inauguration was attended by parents and representatives from various organisations, including Friends of the Library, the Henderson Trust, the District Office, Library Services and Makana Municipality.
The atmosphere at Ntsika was festive as pupils lined the quad in a sea of black, red and white, singing hymns while they waited for proceedings to begin.
The day’s programme included various musical performances. Lithemba Busakwe from Midllands College addressed the crowd with a devotion: “If the only tool you have is a hammer, you will see every problem as a nail. The library now enables us because knowledge is power.”
