Let’s encourage reading to improve academic performance – GES Director

Madam Christiana Ayinezoya Azure, the Talensi District Director of the Ghana Education Service (GES), has underscored the need to encourage the culture of reading to improve academic performance of students and pupils. She observed that the spirit of reading among pupils and students in recent times had fallen and the situation was contributing significantly to the poor performance among schools especially those in Northern Ghana and called for action to address it. 'Reading is the door to everything, once you can read and understand, and has the interest in reading, you can do many other things that will improve upon performance and sustain them in school,' she added. The District Director made call through the Ghana News Agency on the sidelines of the district level public primary schools reading festival, organised by the GES at Gbeogo School for the Deaf which brought together 10 circuits across the district. The festival was contested by pupils of basic one, two and three from the 10 circuits. It fo rmed part of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)/Ghana Strengthening Accountability in Ghana's Education System (SAGES) ,a systems strengthening activity in collaboration with the Ministry of Education reading project. It was held on the theme, 'Reading, a pathway to the world.' The District Director indicated that reading boosts confidence and self-esteem of children as well as sustain their interest in school hence the need for stakeholders in education to device strategies to encourage reading among schoolchildren and young people. Ms Jessica Seidu, a Teacher at the Winkogo Primary School, indicated that reading had been one of the major challenges facing children in the area and urged that the reading festival be sustained to encourage reading among children and improve upon their academic performance. She appealed to parents to support their children to read by buying books for their children and encourage them to read those books to complement what was being taught in scho ol. At the end of the competition, Master Nbapuyele of the Pwalugu-Yinduri circuit emerged winner in the Basic One category while Ms Margaret Deezo of Gbeogo circuit and Ms Blessing Ayine of the Winkogo circuit were winners in the Basic Two and Basic Three categories, respectively. Source: Ghana News Agency