In a statement, OUP said the conference would run under the theme “Imagination and Literacy: Theory and Practice.”
The summit, to be held from 2-5 September, will bring together teachers, writers, librarians, researchers, academics, publishers, parents and children and local and international development workers to showcase research, practice and innovative literacy strategies.
The first three days will include talks, academic papers, and workshops on classroom practice, while the fourth and final day will be open to the public and is aimed to involve the community through events and displays that include stalls, installations and practical sessions around the theme of igniting imagination.
OUP has lined up keynote speakers that include International Literacy Association Director Marcie Craig Post, South African activist and storyteller Gcina Mhlophe, research professors Barbara Comber (Australia), Viv Edwards (UK) and Kieran Egan (Canada), as well as principal of the St Mary’s Junior School in Waverley, Johannesburg, Desiree Hugo.
OUP is sponsoring the event as part of its commitment to education in Africa, where its publications are distributed.
“We believe that reading takes you places. It’s the building block for all other learning, so it is an honour for Oxford to keep the conversation going. This conference will help to unlock the power of imagination through literacy; making a difference to education across the African continent,” said Lieze Kotze, the OUP regional director for Africa.
Read the statement: “Pan-African Literacy for All conferences are important literacy events in Africa, providing a platform for literacy professionals and researchers to interface with policy makers in government and the donor community.”
They have taken place every two years since 1999 in countries that include Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Swaziland and Uganda.
This year’s event will be run in association with the International Literacy Association (ILA) and the International Development Committee-Africa (IDC-A).
It will be organised by RASA which is a leading South African literacy organisation which regularly organises conferences that draw together most of the South African experts on literacy.
Karin Murris, the RASA/Pan-African 2015 Literacy Conference Committee chair, said the conference would provide theoretical and practical ideas needed for teaching.
Post published in: Africa News