Thursday, July 30, 2009

Post #35

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Monday, July 27, 2009

Post #34 Conference t-shirts and opening ceremony (Google Group)

Dear Delegates,

Those of you who have attended conferences in past years will know
that one part of the tradition is to honor the wide participation by
educators from all over Africa and guests from the larger
international community.

This year the conference will open with a short procession from the
university administration to the conference venue in which we hope
delegates from each country will march with your national contingent
and at least a national flag or symbol to represent your country. If
each person tries to bring something, this will add to the symbolism
of educators uniting for universal literacy to which we are all
dedicated.

We will also have conference t-shirts on sale for $10 or 10,000 Tanz
Tsh which you can wear in the opening procession.

It has been shown in research that one of the most powerful influences
on improvement in education is the degree to which leading educators
are connected to each other in our professional organisations and
activities. We are hoping to provide all delegates with just such
opportunities to connect, learn from each other and establish lasting
channels to learn from and work with each other.

Your Organising Committee is dedicated to making these things possible.

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Post #33 Very important for all delegates to read (Google Group)

Please read all these items - some are reminders and some new. We need everyone's cooperation to make these arrangements and provide you with a successful experience.

1. If you need to obtain your visa upon arrival
in Dar es Salaam
airport, we MUST have your name and all passport information BEFORE
JULY 31.

2. If you have asked us to book you a hotel, we MUST know your date of check-in. Also, if you have booked somewhere else and do NOT intend to use the room you asked us to book, please let us know
so it can be canceled in time that you will not be charged for the room.

3. If you have requested a room in the university student hostel,
please remember to bring your own bedsheets and towels as none are provided.

4. Presenters should have both hard and soft copies of your papers to hand in after your presentation session.

5. The conference is providing transport to hotels which are on our list. We need your flight arrival date, time and airline as soon as you have it available in order to meet your needs.

6. Remember to bring
your national dress and flag or other symbol for
the opening and closing ceremonies.

7. NEW: PLEASE email Judith [judithbakr@gmail.com or hit 'reply' in Gmail] a new edited copy of your abstract as you wish it to be printed. Some people have asked that we print a booklet with the abstracts of all presentations. We will do this if most people will be so kind as to send us an edited copy of your abstract by August 1. PLEASE send your abstract again, as we cannot do it with the copies we have on your original applications.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Special Announcement: Ngugi Wa Thiong'o to Attend Conference and Give Keynote Address

The Organising Committee of the 6th Biennial Pan African Reading for All Conference, and Prof Mlinzi M Mulokozi, Chairperson of the National Committee, are very proud to announce that Ngugi Wa Thiong'o will address the conference plenary on Tuesday 11 August and take part in this conference.

Ngugi has earned his reputation as East Africa's most famous living writer, and his novels are required reading throughout Africa. His courage in the face of political repression and his masterful command of fiction make Ngugi a role model for all of us striving to bring literacy to all of Africa.

Click here to read Ngugi Wa Thiong'o's biography on his official website.

Click here to view photos on Ngugi's website.

Our heartfelt thanks to the Pearson Foundation for helping make this
possible.

Friday, July 17, 2009

Post #32

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Here Is The Programme!

Click here to view the programme.

Please check the programme carefully in case we have made any error in the spelling of presenter names, presentation titles or types, or if we have omitted anyone.

If you find any error, please contact cbp@raha.com immediately.
We hope you will not find any errors, but if you do, please forgive us and help us to make the corrections before the programme is published in hard copy.

Additional Information:

If you are interested in chairing the session you are in, please send us a short message of your interest.

If you are a delegate who is not presenting but you have expertise in a session you would like to chair, please send a message with information about your own expertise. We will notify the chairs before you arrive if we are able to do so, but if not we will give you complete information when you register.

Chairpeople will be given clear instructions upon arrival, but the main requirement is expertise in the range of papers being offered at the session for which they are responsible, as chairs will be asked to conduct the discussion sessions after the presentations.

We thank you in advance for inspecting the programme, making yourself a copy, and volunteering.

Registration Form

Click here to get the registration form.

Hotels - Updated List

Click here for the most updated list of hotels for the conference.

Affordable Accommodations Available: Dormitory Rooms

Click this link for information on affordable accommodations available during the conference.

Facilities at the Conference

Click this link for a list of facilities at the conference.

Post #31 Visiting schools and some reminders (Google Group)

Dear Delegates,

If you are planning to visit schools as part of the conference
activities on Friday 14 August, please consider bringing one or more
books to donate as part of your visit. Your gift will be very welcome.

We also wish to remind you:

1. Please send your flight number, airline and date and time of
arrival to cbp@raha.com if you wish to be met at the airport. [Please
do not send it as a 'reply' to this email but rather directly to
Luciana at cbp@raha.com.]

2. Please register for the conference by email. This will expedite
your registration on Monday and allow us to plan catering and other
services for all delegates. Click this link to get the registration form.

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Post #30 Attention Nigerian Delegates (Google Group)

Dear Delegates from Nigeria,

I wish to apologize for my previous communications regarding obtaining
visas when you arrive at the airport in Dar es Salaam. I have been
advised that most airlines leaving Nigeria will be reluctant to carry
you without an entrance visa to Tanzania already in hand, since there
is a Tanzanian embassy in Abuja in Nigeria.

Although it is difficult for some of you to travel to Abuja, it is
relatively easy to obtain a Tanzanian visa at the Tanzanian embassy.
The address of the embassy Embassy in Abuja is located at 11, Ganges
Street, Off Alvan Ikoku Road, Maitama District, Abuja. The exercise
does not last 10 minutes.

You will need 2 passport photographs, a letter of invitation, your
passport and an introduction letter from your Institution. The visa
fee is N10,600.

Again, it is absolutely safer for Nigerians to obtain their visa in
Abuja. Therefore, I suggest you advise all those coming from Nigeria
to make every effort to obtain their visa in Abuja before embarking on
the journey.

If you have already sent us your passport information, we will
certainly help expedite your visa upon arrival, but we cannot assure
you that you will be able to leave Nigeria without the entrance visa
in hand.

Thank you and again, I apologize for giving you misleading information
in the past, Judith

Friday, July 10, 2009

Post #29

Please see new post titled "Thursday 6 August 2009 - Here Is the Final Program" which is dated Thursday, 6 August 2009.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Post #28 Important updates for all delegate (from Google Group)

*The Organising Committee is hard at work to provide a wonderful
conference for all delegates. We have almost finished the Programme
and hope to have it out by early next week. Many last minute
improvements have delayed us beyond the July 1 date, but you will soon
have access to the entire schedule.

*As you are making your final plans, please include bringing your
National Flag for the opening ceremony and national dress for the
closing banquet. It is traditional at the Pan African Reading for All
Conference that all participating nations are recognized, so please
bring the symbols of your culture to add to the richness of this
assembly.

*If you or a colleague still need an invitation letter, please contact
Judith as soon as you can at judithbakr@gmail.com.

* If you have not registered, or if you have not signed up for visa
assistance upon arrival, please do so soon. All information can be
accessed at this group and directions can be found on the conference
blog if you are not sure how to access the information. Go to:
http://6thpanafricanrfa.blogspot.com/ The programme will be posted on
the blog also.

*The tours committee has finalised two wonderful day trips for
delegates. The prices are slightly higher than we anticipated, but
include lunch and all expenses. A trip to Bagamoyo, the ancient
capital, will cost 50 USD each and a boat trip and walking tour of
Zanzibar's Stone Town will cost USD150 each. We apologize for the
increases, but we think you will find both trips very worthwhile.
Both trips will be offered on Friday 14 August, and it is possible
that the tour company will also offer Saturday trips.
If you already expressed a preference for the tour, we have your names
on the list. You can sign up for a tour or change your preference at
registration, so you do not need to contact us ahead of time.