Kanda Estate Basic School overall winners lift their trophy

The Ayawaso East Municipal Education Director, Mrs. Madam Adisa Tassa urged parents and guardians to complement the effort of teachers at promoting reading culture in children.

She said there was the need for every stakeholder involved in the upbringing of learners to instill the love for reading in them to enhance the creativity of children.

Speaking at the first ever Municipal reading festival for children in Basic 1 to 3 in Ghanaian and English Language, she said the act of instilling the culture of reading to children should not only be left to teachers and primary caregivers adding that there was the need for parents to also create a learning environment in their homes to promote parental reading and reading to children.

The programme which was an initiative by the Ghana Education Service was in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development(USAID)partnership for education: Learning and Ghana Library Authority (GLA) and was under the theme “Learn to Read, Read to Learn”.

Participating teams included Flagstaff House Basic, St. Kizito Roman Catholic Basic, Kanda Estate Basic and Alwaleed Comprehensive Basic.

Mrs. Tassa said the directorate firmly believes that the essence of reading and learning to read cannot be over-emphasized as this is a requisite skill which is developed overtime.

She said children who are good readers tend to achieve better across the curriculum adding that reading promotes achievement in all subjects not just English.

Children, she said who do not learn to read in the early grades struggle to develop more advance skills which are often absorbed through reading. She said teaching children to read at a young age is the cornerstone of improving educational outcomes.

In a guest speakers address, the Acting Greater Accra Regional Director of the Ghana Library Authority(GLA), Mr. Edward Addo-Yobo said studies conducted on early grade level reading of children in Ghana indicate that the majority of learners at primary level perform poorly in reading.

He assigned some factors that accounted for poor reading as inadequate training of teachers in developing literacy among learners, insufficient reading materials, time on task for reading among others.

He cited some reading promotion activities as reading clinics, story hour, spelling B, reading challenge, personality read and others.

According to him, reading helps to prevent children indulging in anti- social activities and exposes them to other cultures.

The mandate of the GLA, he said was to establish, equip, manage and maintain public libraries in the country adding that the vision was to connect Ghanaians to learning resources.

On her part, the Municipal Chief Executive for Ayawaso East, Hon. Hajia Salma Sani Mohammed Adams Kuta said reading enriches and expands our vocabulary and develops the skill of concentration whilst providing us with pure enjoyment and sheer pleasure.

The MCE urged teachers and parents to support children in their reading capabilities whilst further admonishing parents to invest in books for children to read and expose them to libraries.

She said the assembly would continue to support the directorate with the necessary logistics so as to be able to achieve its noble goals and objectives.

The Guest of honour, Member of Parliament for Ayawaso East,Nima, Hon. Nasser Toure Mahama expressed commendation to the organizers for the initiative saying it would form a firm foundation for children and broaden the horizon of our children as they ascend the academic ladder.

For their awards, Kanda Estate emerged overall winners and they received a trophy while all the four schools received certificate of participation. The winners will represent the municipality at the regional reading festival.

By Francis Cofie