The Ghana Library Association has held its annual flagship project to encourage reading among pupils at the La Nkwantanang Cluster of Schools in Accra.
The event, held on Chocolate Day, was part of efforts to promote reading and strengthen learning among basic school pupils.
It brought together eight schools within the cluster for a general knowledge quiz competition, while a mobile library van provided by the Ghana Library Authority gave pupils direct access to a wide range of books.
The Association also donated reading materials and exercise books, engaged pupils in academic contests, and encouraged a culture of reading.
Rationale
The programme formed part of the Association’s annual Valentine-season initiative, which it had adopted as a long-term project for the school cluster.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic, the President of the Ghana Library Association Kodjo Asafo-Adjei Antwi, said the association had organised the programme each year in February to share love and promote reading among the pupils.
Mr Antwi explained that the association had included quiz activities to test and improve the pupils’ knowledge across subjects.
“We also engage them in the quiz activities.
We want to test also their knowledge in mathematics, in social science, in science, in all the subjects we cover,” he said.
He explained that the programme had created a lively and educational atmosphere that encouraged participation from both pupils and teachers.
He also said that the activity aimed to increase the Association’s visibility and strengthen collaboration between the professional body and the national library authority.
Association’s role
Mr Antwi explained that the Association had also played a broader role within the education sector, as libraries continued to provide essential spaces and resources for teaching and learning.
He said the body had engaged in national discussions and had influenced policies that affected librarians and library services across the country.
“The Ghana Library Association is not just for library information professionals.
We also affect national policies, because libraries play a very important role in education in Ghana,” he said.
Interest
Mr Antwi said the association had remained committed to defending the interests of librarians whenever policies threatened their welfare or professional growth, urging library and information professionals across the country to join the association.
“The library association represents the voice of library professionals in Ghana, and so I encourage them to join.
We look out for their interests in terms of their development, in terms of their welfare,” he said.
He added that the Association intended to expand the outreach to other school clusters in the future.
“Presently, the only project we have is here, but the association is looking to explore other institutions,” he said.
Source:
www.graphic.com.gh
