Namibian children need stories they relate to

Teacher and children’s book author Yonda Nyathi says by the time many children reach Grade 5, a gap in their cognitive capacity is visible.

She says some read confidently, arguing their ideas with ease, while others avoid eye contact when asked to read aloud, stumbling over words they’ve seen many times before.

Nyathi, a Swakopmund-based teacher, says she taught Grade 5 pupils who struggled to read simple texts.

“Not because they lacked intelligence, but because they lacked the vocabulary to express their ideas,” she says.

That realisation, she says, reshaped how she understood literacy. “Without a foundation in reading, even the most promising child will be left out.”

Nyathi’s work sits at the intersection of teaching and storytelling.

She says: ‘”Inside the classroom, I see how reading is often reduced to a task, something measured, tested and corrected. Outside it, I write stories trying to undo that damage.

“Access isn’t just about having a book,” she explains. “It’s about having the right book. If a child cannot relate to the characters, the story or the language, reading becomes a punishment rather than an enjoyable experience.”

She believes classrooms should feel alive with language, saying: “We live in a world where technology is everywhere. When you enter a classroom, it should be a rich literacy space. Stories should be colourful and engaging. No pupil wants to see a stick-figure storybook.”

In Namibia, seven out of 10 children cannot read a simple text or do basic maths by Grade 3, with only 28% meeting literacy benchmarks in 2024.

But Nyathi says statistics hide geography.

“The further you are from the capital city, the wider the gap,” she explains.

At some schools, pupils have tablets and full bookshelves. At others, a whole class shares one outdated textbook.

“It’s a gap in resources,” she says, “But also in time spent reading outside the school bell. Many learners don’t have a single book at home.”

Still, Nyathi believes relevance is the key.

“Children learn best through what they recognise,” she says. “If a story is about a boy named Sifiso seeing animals cross the road in the north, many Namibian pupils connect immediately. Even seeing their own name in a story can spark curiosity.”

Despite a growing number of local writers, most children’s books in Namibia are still imported, she notes, adding that cost remains another barrier.

“Our shelves are dominated by Europe and America. Children’s books, especially those with quality illustrations, are expensive to produce.”

In her classroom, Nyathi tries to change that. She writes her own stories and lets pupils critique them.

“When they ask to read a story again and again, I know something is working,” she says. “Even paging through pictures matters, imagination is being built.”

“It takes a village,” she adds. “The government must provide books, schools must teach, and families must encourage. Parents modelling reading, bedtime stories, those small things matter.”

Nyathi says remains hopeful. “Every child in Namibia is a reader, we just need to give them time, books that are for them, and believe in them.

“Reading is food for your brain. It opens your mind and no child should grow up without that.”

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