​​​The City of Johannesburg’s Library Information Services is launching the second MobiReadathon Reading Competition for high school pupils centred on the theme “Online Safety”. MobiReadathon, a programme fostering reading development and digital literacy, encourages high school pupils to engage with online reading and use mobile devices for learning.

Participants register via www.cojelearning.org.za, access PDF stories online, and complete quiz questions to demonstrate comprehension. After its successful debut in 2023, expanding from 50 schools in Gauteng to a national scale, MobiReadathon now collaborates with 19 municipal library services across eight provinces. This year’s competition integrates English articles on internet safety, African folklore, and senior citizen stories.

The competition aims not only to enhance reading skills but also to educate high school pupils on safe internet navigation.

Running as a digital campaign until April 25 2024, semifinalists will be selected from participating provinces, with provincial prizes awarded.

In the second phase, top-performing Grade 8s will be assigned new stories, leading to finals on June 13 2024.

Each municipality will host its finals, with prizes sponsored by the Africa Online Fund and Pick n Pay School Club.

Cllr Lubabalo Magwentshu, the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Community Development in the City of Johannesburg, urges pupils to embrace technology and participate in MobiReadathon, emphasizing the importance of digital literacy in the 4IR era and the city’s vision of nurturing smart citizens.

​Should you wish to add your school to the competition, please visit www.cojelearning.org.za and encourage your pupils to register and participate. For enquiries, email enquiries@cojelearning.org.za, jeffny@joburg.org.za or speak to your local library to find out if your school is participating.