Stakeholders urged to collaborate to promote reading among children

Street Children Empowerment Foundation (SCEF) in collaboration with Book Aid International (BAI) has organized a three-day workshop on Basic Library Management and Reading Promotion for stakeholders in the Accra Metropolis and the Ga South Municipality as part of its ‘’Reading is Basic’’ Project.

The workshop, which was aimed at building the capacity of teachers to effectively manage libraries and enhance the reading capacity of children, saw participants taken through lessons in setting up libraries, book processing, book as therapy, running book clubs, child safeguarding among others.

Speaking at the workshop, Mr. Paul Semeh, the Executive Director of SCEF noted that education is one of the factors that are critical to the development of children and called on stakeholders to work together to make reading and learning easier, and fun for both rural and urban children.

‘’Education must not be the preserved for a privilege few, it is a basic right of all children. Therefore, as stakeholders, it is our duty to ensure that we promote effective reading among these children, especially the underprivileged ones because reading is basic and central to meeting their educational needs’’, says Mr. Paul Semeh.

On his part, Mr. James Kimani, the Africa Representative of BAI underscored the importance of reading to the attainment of quality education among children and urged teachers to find innovative ways of making reading exciting for children.

‘’Promoting reading in schools is the first step to achieving quality education. That is why it is important to build the capacity of teachers and head teachers to be able to setup and manage libraries as well as promote reading among children’’, added  Mr. James Kimani.

Participants expressed satisfaction with the workshop and noted that the knowledge acquired will enable them better assist the children to develop a sustained interest in reading to improve their learning performance.

‘’The workshop has been particularly very insightful for me. With the knowledge I have acquired, especially on how to use reading as a therapy, I am now well positioned to help children overcome their reading challenges’’, noted Mr. Emmanuel Atiseh, the Head Teacher of  Odumprala M/A Basic School in the Ga South Municipality.

The workshop brought together 33 teachers, head teachers and officials of the Ghana Education service from the Accra Metropolis and Ga South Municipality.

Reading is Basic is a 12 month project funded by Book Aid International and Implemented by Street Children Empowerment Foundation. The aim is to improve quality education by setting up libraries in some selected schools and promoting reading among children.