Happy 75th birthday, Scrabble!
The game started on boards but can now be played on screens too, against a computer or human opponent (or opponents) sitting thousands of kilometres away in front of their own screen.
It’s a simple game, but not for those who play to win.
Recognised as a sport in some countries, competitors take the game seriously, learning lists of words which could come in handy.
Of course these words don’t just work on the board, but could be used in conversation, in essays and at work, meaning that players learn as they play.
The concept has been embraced by other countries (including elsewhere on our continent), with Nigeria having produced a world champion. Other professionally playing African nations include Ghana, Botswana and Kenya, but not South Africa, where black players tend to be immigrants.
And it shows.
Recently it was reported that 82% of South African Grade 4 pupils cannot read for meaning ‒ in any language.
As shocking as this statistic is, it goes a long way in explaining why so many of our pupils struggle ‒ they simply cannot understand what they are reading.
We can debate who is at fault here, and there’s no shortage of candidates (parents, teachers, the Basic Education Department), but it is evident we desperately need to establish a reading culture.
And with Scrabble able to be played in any language using the Roman alphabet, why not start there?
The Independent on Saturday