Proud Parents, Confident Readers: Maluku Students Honored for Literacy Achievements
By Didier Nagifi, Communications Officer
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, World Vision DRC held an award ceremony in honor of 100 students who excelled in a reading competition organized in the Maluku commune. The initiative aimed to encourage children to improve their skills in reading, writing, and comprehension, as part of the "Open Literacy 2.0" educational approach.
An Innovative Approach to Strengthen Learning
A total of 300 students from 35 primary schools took part in the competition. The results were highly encouraging:
90% of the students now read with comprehension,
33.3% scored above 90%.
“In 2023, only 17% of students could read with comprehension. In 2025, we’ve reached 50%. Together, we will overcome illiteracy in our area,” explained Martin Mukenge, Education Specialist at World Vision.
A Ceremony Filled with Demonstrations and Recognition
The event was attended by school inspectors, principals, teachers, parents, students, and World Vision staff. Three groups of students gave public reading demonstrations, showcasing the progress made.
“The students have fully embraced the Open Literacy 2.0 approach. We now plan to integrate it into our regular teaching methods in the coming years,” said Franck, head of the Maluku 1 sub-provincial education office.
Jean-Pierre, an education inspector, added:
“This approach introduced new strategies to develop the five key reading skills. It has greatly improved teaching quality.”
A Moment of Pride for Parents and Students
Several parents expressed their appreciation:
“I was very proud to see my six-year-old child reading in public. I don’t always have time to help him at home. Thank you to World Vision for their support,” said Eric, father of one of the students.
“Seeing children from first to third grade reading fluently is deeply moving. World Vision has truly raised our children’s learning level,” shared Martine, a mother in the community.
The students themselves shared their excitement:
“My name is Gracien, I’m 8 years old. I took part in the reading contest and received a backpack and two dozen notebooks. Thank you, World Vision. I dream of becoming president one day to help children learn to read and write,” he said proudly.
Another student, Mazenge, also expressed his gratitude:
“I won a backpack, two dozen notebooks, and three pens. Thank you for this great opportunity.”
Highlighting Teachers’ Efforts
The award ceremony was also an opportunity to recognize the dedicated work of teachers, who applied the new methods provided by World Vision to improve children’s reading skills. Their commitment has been instrumental in driving this transformation in literacy levels.