Mobile Literacy in South Africa

Mobile literacy in South Africa refers to informal education initiatives that support literacy and digital fluency using mobile devices, especially mobile phones. It is also known by the abbreviation mLiteracy.

The mobile literacy ecosystem in South Africa was mapped in January 2015, using the UNESCO study "Reading in the Mobile Era: A Study of Mobile Reading in Developing Countries" as a starting point.

Ecosystem of mLiteracy in South Africa
The ecosystem in South Africa includes authors, users, content providers, platforms, mobile networks, funding agencies, and training facilities, including schools and libraries. Most of the projects use Creative Commons licences. Their target groups are primarily children, teenagers, and young adults.

Content providers

 * African Storybook. Founded in 2013, it publishes illustrated children's stories in English, and over 40 African languages.
 * Book Dash. Founded in 2014, it creates free print, and mobile-ready African storybooks for young children, published under a Creative Commons licence.
 * FunDza publishes stories for teenagers, and young adults in 11 of South Africa's official languages. Readers can also comment, and write their own stories.
 * Nal'ibali. Nal'ibali publishes stories in all official South African languages which parents can read to their children.
 * Penreach hosts the Asifundze Programme, focused on improving literacy, and numeracy for children between 5 and 9.


 * Worldreader was founded in 2010 by Coleen McElwee, and David Risher, the former Senior Vice President for Amazon's US Retail. It publishes eBooks for developing countries at discounted prices.
 * Yoza Cellphone Stories was launched in 2009 by Steve Vosloo, digital policy specialist for UNICEF’s Office of Global Insight and Policy. No longer active, its stories are housed on the FunDza website.
 * Puku Foundation is a reading promotion, indigenous language advocacy and book curation organisation, which also hosts a digital encyclopedia housing and reviewing children’s literature.

Contribution and license activators

 * Creative Commons South Africa provides copyright licenses to simplify sharing creative works.
 * WikiAfrica encourages the development of African for Wikipedia.
 * Wikipedia Zero grants access to Wikipedia without any airtime costs.

Library-based projects

 * The Johannesburg City Library has initiatives supporting eLearning and promoting techno-literacy.
 * The Library and Information Association of South Africa (LIASA) is a platform for libraries and librarians.
 * The Ulwazi Programme, established in 2008 by the eThekwini Municipality’s Libraries and Heritage Department, collects and shares knowledge about local culture and history.

Research into mobile literacy
Researchers at the University of Cape Town studied the link between mobile literacy and multilingualism and the significance of public access locations like libraries and cybercafes in promoting mobile literacy. This expands on research that investigated how technological improvements might promote media sharing on mobile devices and characterizes the nature of mobile-first digital literacy practices.

International affiliated organisations

 * Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL) in Africa conducts programmes for librarians in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya and South Africa.
 * Goethe-Institut Johannesburg: The Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institute. Since 2014, it has initiated international dialogue about digital developments in education, culture and society.
 * Kenya National Library Service: Kisumu & Kibera project. The National Library Service of Kenya (KNLS) develops, promotes, establishes and equips libraries in Kenya.
 * German Library Association launched the "Reading is strength" project, aimed at improving digital and new media competence.
 * Mobiliteracy Uganda is supported by the United States Agency for International Development. It delivers reading lessons to an adult's phone so they can share with their children; audio files allow illiterate parents to also participate in the project.
 * Launched in Senegal, Sen Mobile provides mobile development focused on learning, health and entertainment.

Developments and challenges
Since implementation in 2009, the mLiteracy landscape in South Africa has seen a rise in smart phones. But even with the increase in projects, and related content, the lack of Africa-relevant content, and content in African languages, as well as the cost of airtime that allows for access, remain major problems.

Literature

 * Reading in the mobile era (UNESCO, 2014) (Retrieved 8.2.2015)
 * UNESCO policy guidelines for mobile learning (2013) (Retrieved 8.2.2015)
 * The Future of Mobile Learning: implications for policy makers and planners (UNESCO, 2013) (Retrieved 8.2.2015)
 * Turning on Mobile Learning in Africa and the Middle East: illustrative initiatives and policy implications (UNESCO 2012) (Retrieved 8.2.2015)
 * Walton, Marion: Mobile Literacy & South African Teens: Leisure reading, writing, and MXit chatting for teens in Langa and Guguletu (December 2009) (Retrieved 2.8.2015)
 * Mobile for Reading: A landscape research review (June, 2014) (Retrieved 8.2.2015)
 * Walton, M., & Donner, J. Public access, private mobile: The interplay of shared access and the mobile Internet for teenagers in Cape Town. Global Impact Study Research Report Series., 1–69. (2012). (Retrieved 2.8.2015)