School books plea for Africa

THOUSANDS of unwanted school books are to be sent to Africa to help children who have had little or no access to education.

Irish soldiers in Liberia will distribute the books in the coming months, following collection at EBS building society branches around the country.

Tim Hurley, founder of School Book Exchange, said his company is aware from its daily work of the large volume of books in Irish homes which are no longer part of the curriculum.

“We are encouraging everyone to dig out these books and to donate them to our book appeal. The national language in Liberia is English and by simply donating our unwanted primary school books, Irish people can give thousands of children there a new opportunity for learning and education and help break the cycle of poverty,” he said.

The Pass It On initiative of the EBS and the SchoolBookExchange.ie website is aimed at helping bridge the education gap in the country, which has had a civil war since the 1980s. The strife has meant two generations of Liberian children missing out on schooling and a literacy rate of about 30%.

By appealing to Irish families and schools to donate unwanted school books, the organisers hope to help reverse learning trends.

“By delivering books that are no longer used here to children who have no access to formal education or to reading materials, we are in a position to make a positive impact on the quality of their lives,” said Dave Keenan, head of EBS corporate communications.

Parents and schools can deposit primary-level books at any EBS branch from next Monday until November 1. The books will be packaged and collected for distribution by the Irish defence forces in Africa.