![1st Lady declares 2019 as Year of Reading](http://www.ghanaiantimes.com.gh/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/First-Lady-Mrs.-Rebecca-Akufo-Addoleft-inspecting-the-library.jpg)
First Lady Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo(left) inspecting the library
The First Lady Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, has declared this year as “the Year of Reading” to whip up the culture of reading among Ghanaians.
According to her, in a growing competitive world, life-long learning had become the only way to grow intellectually and build wealth of knowledge, “that can only be acquired through reading and we have no option as a country than to reignite the reading culture in our dear country for the progress we wish for”.
The First Lady said this in Accra yesterday, when she re-launched the mobile library service for the southern sector of the country to commemorate the year of reading on the theme “Reading for Progress”.
Mrs Akufo-Addo said there was the need to build the culture of reading among children in order to promote socio-economic and human resource development.
She said studies had revealed that many children in sub-Saharan Africa struggled at the lower primary level to read in the official or any local language.
She said the Rebecca Foundation would continue to work with the library authority to make it possible for all Ghanaians to benefit from accessibility to learning resources.
“Soon, the first library will be ready and handed over to the Ghana Library Authority to be part of its network of libraries around the country to enable children of the community of Bia in Western Region benefit from the enormous resources that will be available,” he said.
Deputy Minister of Education, Dr Yaw Osei Adutwum, on his part said the ministry was committed to providing the needed support for all agencies under it to effectively function and contribute to the overall national development.
He said the government would soon unveil new partnerships to equip all libraries in the country with computers and connect them to the world of internet.
UNICEF Country Representative, Anne-Claire Dufay said most children in the country were not able to read at the foundational level, describing it as an unfortunate situation.
She said the 2017 and 2018 Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) indicated that only one child out of every five, aged between seven and 14 years, had robust foundational reading skills.
The survey, she said also stated that only seven per cent of children in Ghana aged between three and five had access to three or more children’s books at home.
Ms Dufay said the research also showed that motivation to read decreased with age, adding that “when children do not enjoy reading when they are young; they are less likely to do so when they get older.”
She also said schools should also make quality supplementary reading materials available while at the community level, libraries should also offer inclusive and friendly spaces to stimulate curiosity, lifelong learning, and discovery among all generations.
She called on stakeholders to embrace new technologies to effectively contribute to the development of children’s literacy.
Dr Helena Asamoah-Hassan, Board Chairperson of Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) said renovation of infrastructure has been carried out at the head office to expand the Book Processing Unit, New Acquisition Unit and set up office for Schools & Colleges Unit.
This according to her would ensure an improved and conducive environment for work and for users.
She said GhLA had restored its partnership with GlFEC to install computers at all libraries and connect them to e-resources.
“It will equip all GhLA mobile library vans including 100 laptops for Southern and Northern Zone, 100 mouse, 10 dummy desktop computer and kindles and this is to enable communities and schools benefit from technology,” she said.
By Agnes Opoku Sarpong
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