Deputy Minister's speech at the MDDA National Media Literacy Summit

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Birchwood Hotel & O R Tambo Conference Centre - Boksburg, Johannesburg
10 April 2013

Summit Convener;
Members of the MDDA Board;
MDDA Chief Executive Officer - Mr Lumko Mtimde;
SA Council of Educator Chief Operations Officer, Ms Matshidiso Dipholo;
Advisor to the Minister: Department of Arts and Culture - Professor Keorapetse Kgositsile
Chief Director in the Department of Basic Education - Dr Shermain Mannah
The Agency Funders and Stakeholders;
Educators and Learners from the Eastern Cape, North West, KwaZulu-Natal and Free State
MDDA Stakeholders and all interest groups present;
Members of the various media houses,
Distinguished guests; and
Ladies and gentlemen.

Kgotsong! I thank you for inviting me to this National Media Literacy Summit where the Media Development and Diversity Agency (MDDA) is evaluating its Media Literacy and Culture of Reading project to take stock of lessons learns[sic] and seek mutually beneficial partnerships that will sustain this project.

The MDDA is a statutory development agency set-up as a strategic partnership between the South African government, major print, and broadcasting companies; tasked with the responsibility to ensure media development and diversity in the country.

The main aim of the MDDA is to assist in developing community media and small commercial media in South Africa; as per the MDDA Act No. 14 of 2002. The work they do is important as it contributes to the realisation of Section 16 and 32 of the Constitution Act No. 108 of 1996 - provides for the freedom of expression and access to information.

Like other developing nations, South Africa has the common feature of unequal access to the media between those who live in rural and informal settlements and those who live in urban and in affluent areas. The former has very limited access to all forms of media whilst the latter has access to all means of media such as electronic, mobile and print media. The only reliable access that the rural and informal settlement communities have is community media (especially radio).

As we evaluate this project - we should all be encouraged by the hard work of the MDDA and the output coming out of the MDDA direct and indirect interventions through the provision of financial and non-financial support to young people creating and controlling their own media.

Since launched in 2009, the media literacy programme has mainly focused its training and capacity building interventions on learners from historically disadvantaged communities as the primary beneficiaries. In order for the learners to be media wise and start their own media product at school level, the support from educators is important as media can be used to inform and educate. As we evaluate the project, let us come with plans on how we are to build capacity of the educators as the key support structure for the project to be sustainable at school-level. The Department of Basic Education is therefore key and central to the success of this intervention. I am pleased to note that since the beginnings[sic] the department has always been part of this programme.

In March 2009, Advocate Andre' Gaum, the then Deputy Minister of Education, at the launch of this programme said,

"The pervasive nature of mass media in our everyday lives necessitates the development of skills that will allow recipients of information to actively engage meanings and messages so as to become discerning viewers and even readers and listeners........The everyday exposure of children to a wide range of media (not all of which can be controlled - especially in the context of media freedom) can serve as a "primary curriculum" for children virtual if not properly monitored. The point I want to raise is that children should be made aware that they live in a world of images, sounds and words. To this end they need to be educated to become critical and informed users of media. Hence the value of media education needs to be emphasised. Media education or media literacy is vital in empowering children to live in open societies. The main purpose of media education is to teach children skills that will enable them to develop a critical understanding and autonomy rather than rely on a protectionist form of censorship. The inclusion of media education in the school curricula of the twenty-first century is not a luxury but a pressing need and I'm proud to announce that our National Curriculum Statement (NCS) strongly emphasises media literacy skills that will enable the envisaged learner to read media texts, make informed media choices, participate in society and contribute to the local media industry."

The Media Literacy and Culture of Reading project is part of the activities that the MDDA prides itself in. In February 2012, the agency launched the Media Literacy Toolkit. A toolkit that guides school learners and educators to establish their own school newspapers used for communication at the school. The same newspapers will encourage the culture of reading among the learners and also the community. They will promote writing skills and in the process contribute in enhancing the learners' grammar and spelling.

Media literacy education is a means of developing media literacy. It provides tools to help people critically analyze messages to detect propaganda, censorship and bias in news and public affairs programming (and the reasons for such), and to understand how structural features - such as media ownership or its funding model affects the information presented.

The MDDA has a mandate to create an enabling environment for media development and diversity that is conducive to public discourse and that which reflects the needs and aspirations of all South Africans. Further, Section 3 (v) of the MDDA Act requires the Agency to support initiatives which promote literacy and a culture of reading. Accordingly, the MDDA proposed a Media Literacy and Culture of Reading Summit as an attempt to support initiatives that promote literacy and a culture of reading amongst diminished language groups and inadequately served communities.

The objectives of the project, amongst others include:

• Advocating for the introduction of media education as part of the school curriculum,
  
• Forge linkages and partnerships with the Department of Basic Education (DoE) on all levels and other relevant partners,
  
• Promote the development of media at an early age, and instill in youth, a need for critical engagement with media,
  
• Create an awareness in media interest for both producers and consumers of media,
  
• Grow the readership of media in general,
  
• Grow a society that will meaningfully participate in the country's democracy through media,
  
• Ensure the development and diversification of media through introduction of student media, also referred to as atypical media, and promote a vibrant national reading culture.

Lastly, between 2009 and 2012 the MDDA has spent R 1, 180, 767.60 to implement the media literacy project in 40 schools. The budget covers costs for hosting provincial summits and aftercare programme and costs transport, accommodation, provincial and on-site training, newsletter publication, and has benefitted 200 learners and educators.

I call upon the private sector and all stakeholders to join this programme and invest in our young, thereby creating an informed and knowledgeable society.

It is important at every opportunity for us all to revisit the United Nations Declaration, Article 2 which states that:

"Children belonging to the peoples concerned shall, wherever practicable, be taught to read and write in their own indigenous language or in the language most commonly used by the group to which they belong."

As I understand, the MDDA in line with the objects of its Act, has emphasised that this programme empowers learners with media skills, media awareness and be able to produce media in their own languages. It is regrettable in South Africa that except for broadcast media, mainstream print media is largely in English and Afrikaans. We need to invest in the new media future that reflects the demographics of South Africa. We need to skill new journalists that will be able to write and edit in their own indigenous languages. As we take stock of what this programme has done, we need to consider how we grow partnerships and maximise its impact in respect of media education and literacy and in the promotion of media diversity.

Chairperson (MDDA), we are proud of these learners and their educators - for having walked the less travelled road with the MDDA team.

I thank you.