Maropeng recently hosted the winners of the 6th annual Kid Lit Awards, an international competition that tests children’s literacy skills.

The awards have been described as the Olympic Games in reading and encourage young children worldwide to read for pleasure.

As part of their prize, six groups went on a tour of the Maropeng Visitor Centre and the Sterkfontein Caves.

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Winners of the 6th Annual Kid Lit Awards

Maropeng Curator Lindsay Marshall said how pleased they were to play host to the winners of a competition of such a high calibre. “We are proud to be associated with such a great initiative. Education is a big part of Maropeng’s work. Thousands of school children visit every year and Maropeng has developed a curriculum-linked resource pack to enhance their experience.” said Marshall.

Tour guide Maropeng Ramalepa guided the Kid Lit prize winners through the exhibition and, according to the coordinators of the event, his interaction with the children made it a memorable day for all.

Grove Primary in the Western Cape came third in the competition. In the national round they achieved the highest marks the quiz has seen in 18 years.

Carol Ryan, librarian at Grove Primary, was full of praise for Maropeng. “We thoroughly enjoyed the tour. The children loved the boat ride and the interactive museum was fascinating. The information was so well displayed, we really had a great time,” she said.

The six winning schools:
1st Bancroft’s School in the United Kingdom
2nd Belmont Intermediate in New Zealand
3rd Grove Primary in South Africa
4th Springvale Primary in South Africa
5th International School of Beijing in China
6th St John’s Primary in South Africa