NPP-USA On First Lady’s “Learning to Read, Reading to Learn” Project

I want to commend the First Lady, Mrs. Rebecca Akufo-Addo for initiating the “Learning to Read, Reading to Learn” project which aims at exposing children to Ghanaian writers and giving these hardworking writers the exposure they deserve.
A World Vision Ghana (WVG) report for 2012 indicated a drop in the reading abilities of Ghanaian children in a performance monitoring and evaluation conducted across programmed areas on boys and girls achieving English literacy standards after grade six reduced from 62.19% in 2011 to 59.42% in 2012.
The report further noted in most school communities inadequate materials, poor reading habits of children and interest to even read and lack of well equipped libraries turned to worsen children’s plight.
Against this background, I deem the project launched by the Rebecca Foundation as a step in the right direction.
I would like to call on school owners and authorities to aggressively work to overturn the situation. I also encourage parents, educators, government, Non-Governmental Organizations to support the project to improve literacy in our children.
However, let me also challenge the children to make reading a habit to help them develop their reading skills by reading a book each day, learning new words and new things which will enable them to write their own little stories on issues they feel passionate about.
The “Learning to Read, Reading to Learn” project as i know is a weekly engaging, interactive reading television program with school children and an adult reader. Each week, children will learn words and lessons from the stories they read.
SPEECH BY MRS BARBARA BOAFO
Branch Women’s Organizer, NPP-USA