- St. Anne’s Sega Girls learners are challenging concerns over declining reading culture by writing and publishing their own creative works.
- The club has nurtured young authors aged 13 to 18, producing novellas, poetry, plays and short-story anthologies.
- Learners say reading and creative writing have strengthened their communication, confidence, discipline and academic performance.
In many schools, one hears concerns about the so-called poor reading culture. There are also worrying cases where some learners, even in higher grades, struggle to read texts designed for lower grades.
Indeed, as Prof. Egara Kabaji recently found out in one school, Grade Six learners were very uncomfortable trying to read books designated for Grade Four.
Such a situation paints a grim picture of the future of literacy. It becomes even more concerning when one imagines a society where reading and writing abilities continue declining.
That is why it is such a joy to encounter a school where this challenge is being deliberately confronted—not exclusively by teachers, but by the learners themselves.
Recently, I visited one such school following an invitation from a teacher who had initiated a positive attitudinal change towards reading. I was eager to honour the invitation because I had already heard about what was happening there in the literary field.
That school is St. Anne’s Sega Girls Senior School in Ugenya Sub-county, Siaya County.
One unique feature of the school is its book club, thanks largely to the teacher in charge, Mr Boniface Otieno Okinyi.
On the occasion of our visit, members of the girls’ book club were launching books they had written and published themselves.
Among those invited were two men I regard as icons in the literary realm: Prof. Peter Amuka, former Head of Literature at Moi University, and Prof. Egara Kabaji, a Literature scholar at Masinde Muliro University.
Prof. Kabaji could not attend because he was engaged elsewhere, leaving Prof. Amuka and me as guests at this glorious occasion.
And what a joy it was to sit before those enthusiastic young people and listen to them as they relished both the occasion and our presence.
It was a book launch with a difference.
Some of these young girls, including learners in Grade 10, had written and published their own novellas. Others had contributed to anthologies of poetry, plays and short stories.
We were there to witness the launch of 10 books written by girls aged between 13 and 18, currently studying between Grade 10 and Form Four.
If that is not exhilarating, what is?
We are talking about girls achieving this against the backdrop of the perennially cited “poor reading culture” among learners.
While others lament about learners who can hardly construct grammatical sentences or write simple letters, girls at Sega Girls Senior School are writing their own books.
One cannot help but marvel at the spirit driving this achievement.
Building a culture of reading and writing
As it is said, for every effect, there is a cause. The main driving force behind this remarkable initiative is teacher Boniface Otieno Okinyi.
I wanted to know why he established the group.
“The main aim of establishing the St. Anne’s Sega Girls Senior School Book Club was to nurture a vibrant reading and writing culture amongst the learners,” he said.
“Apart from reading and writing, we wished to inculcate an ethic of critical thinking amongst our learners. We also hope to nurture leadership qualities in them.
“Our vision is to raise a generation of informed, articulate, imaginative and responsible young women who will face life’s challenges with requisite confidence. We view such as key parameters for ensuring their success in school and out of it.”
In the teaching profession, any meaningful learning experience should result in measurable change. Does Okinyi believe the club is achieving its objectives?
“The fact that they can express themselves in both written works and verbally means that we are achieving our objective,” he said.
“As it is variously said, effective communication means one is almost there insofar as achieving life’s goals is concerned. Without effective communication, one cannot get far in life.
“These girls are on the way to perfecting their art of communication. It is a giant leap into the future.”
His assertion cannot be gainsaid.
As we listened to the girls expressing themselves, we could not help but marvel at their confidence. Here were young girls boldly telling their stories, with hardly a trace of fear.
Reading inspires young writers
The learners also shared their experiences of producing their own literary works.
“I thank my teachers of English for the encouragement they gave me,” said Sandra Achieng, the club’s chairperson.
She singled out club patron Okinyi for inspiring her and attributed her interest in writing to reading extensively.
After encountering the works of other authors, she realised she could also write.
A contributor to the short-story anthology The Girl Who Was Sold for a Goat and the poetry anthology Crossroads and Other Poems, Sandra views writing as a means of expressing herself.
“In writing, I find a way of expressing my emotions and experiences in a creative way. I get my thoughts on paper and feel relieved,” she said.
Another young author, Emmah Iddah, a Grade 10 learner, attributes her involvement in creative writing to her passion for storytelling and poetry.
She has contributed to two anthologies, Crossroads and Other Poems and The Things We Carry, an anthology of plays.
“Writing allows me to communicate ideas that can educate, entertain and inspire people. This is very important since it can impact the lives of people, hopefully in a positive way,” she said.
Writing strengthens academic skills
Asked whether their involvement in writing affects their schoolwork because of the time required, the girls were emphatic that it does not.
Instead, they said writing enhances their academic work while providing a productive leisure activity.
“Writing has strengthened my creativity, research skills and self-confidence,” Emmah said.
“It has also improved my mastery of language. As is known, language is important in learning all the other subjects. So the impact cuts across all learning areas.”
Similar sentiments were expressed by Beulah Otieno, a Form Three learner who has also contributed to the anthologies.
She hopes to become an influential writer in future, producing books that inspire readers and promote positive values in society.
Could books also strengthen discipline?
One salient question put to the learners concerned discipline.
The school did not experience unrest when some other institutions encountered disturbances earlier in the term. Why, then, did Sega Girls not follow suit?
“What for?” they jointly quipped.
One learner, who opted to remain anonymous, offered an illuminating response.
“We were not idle,” she said.
“When you are busy trying to beat a writing deadline, and there is a novel begging to be read in the desk, where do you get the time to indulge in unproductive activities?”
Heko, as they say, to Sega Girls Senior School!
READ ALSO: Running with Lions: Why every child deserves someone who believes in them
Therein, perhaps, lies one possible solution to some of the challenges facing our schools: cultivate a love for books, give learners meaningful avenues to express themselves and keep their minds productively engaged.
By Opondo Okoth
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