The Nkwanta-North Education Directorate of the Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Oti Region has organised a reading festival at Kpassa for basic schools in to promote the culture of reading among pupils in the district.
In all, 400 pupils from nine circuits in the district participated in the reading festival held under the auspices of the GES and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).
The circuits were Kpassa-West, Damanko-East, Kpassa-Central, Danladi, Sibi, Tinjase, Kabonwole, Kpassa-East and Damanko-Central.
Speaking at the closing ceremony on Friday, the Nkwanta-North District Director of Education (DDE), Mrs Grace Emefa Banibensu said reading habits at the basic level of education was poor in the district, therefore the reading festival was introduced to help reverse the trend.
Mrs Banibensu observed that reading and understanding formed a crucial part of a successful educational system, and added that the ability for children to read and understand what they read was the pivot upon which education revolved.
The District Director, stressed that it was crucial for parents to complement the efforts of teachers by ensuring that their children studied at home, particularly read and also monitor and guide them in whatever they do outside the classroom.
Mrs Banibensu said teachers over the years had shown much commitment to their work, therefore stakeholders with emphasis on parents ought to play their respective roles well, since pupils and students spent more time with their parents than teachers.
The School Management Committee (SMC) Chair for Kpassa Primary ‘B4’, Mr David Usunyi said he was impressed about the performance of pupils during the festival, and urged parents to support the education of their children by providing them with learning materials.
The nine participatory schools and the circuits were awarded certificates of participation and textbooks for their outstanding performance.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, KPASSA