New library encourages schoolchildren to read

By Lisa Bogler

St Andrew’s Anglican School in Zongo Brimsu in Cape Coast Metropolis, benefits highly from a new library which was donated to them by volunteers of ProWorld. The coordinators expect a very positive impact on the schoolchildren and their performance at school.

Michaela Brown, project coordinator

Reading leads to knowledge and knowledge leads to power, emphasizes Michaela Brown, project coordinator of ProWorld Ghana, a volunteering organization. Unfortunately, literacy is a problem in Ghana. In 2010, the adult literacy rate was 57,9 %, with the men contributing 66,4 % and the women 49,8 %. This is an appalling situation considering that reading is the basic of all education. Reading skills are required not only for English but also subjects like mathematics and science. They are essential for passing exams.

About 85 % of all children in Ghana are attending school. However, many schools are poorly equipped and therefore face restrictions in providing the attending students with decent education. A lack of textbooks and other learning and teaching aids constricts teachers to give the students what they are coming to school for. Without books, it is obviously difficult to teach children adequately how to read and they have no opportunity to practice and enhance their reading skills. Some schools, due to a lack of capacity, cut back on equipment like this to invest in other important parts of school life, for example converting a former library to a dormitory.

St Andrew’s Anglican School in Zongo Brimsu can count themselves lucky to have the support of the Education for the Child Project. ProWorld is a volunteering organization operating in 10 countries all over the world, including Ghana. They sent one volunteer from USA to assist the project, who then came to teach at the school with two friends from Cape Coast University, where she has been studying the last semester. Apart from teaching mathematics, science and English at the school, they also build up a library and donated teaching aids like pens and calculators. 

The school appreciates this donation very much. Kate Harriet Warden, teacher at St Andrew’s Anglican School and Regional Coordinator of Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition, confirmed how excited the children are about the books. They always want to be in the library, open the books and are fascinated by the drawings and pictures. This encourages them to read. The library itself is inviting, with a colorful painting of the underwater world on the wall and a long shelf with books suitable for students from KG and primary up to JHS level. Not all of the 600 donated books have been put in the library yet. 

The students are not only to benefit from the books in and during school. It is planned to give some of the books out to them and their parents who would then read with their children also at home or even read themselves before returning the books after two weeks. This could possibly encourage them to buy their own books or add more to the library. Thus, the whole community could benefit.

Through this library, the Education for the Child Project aims to help the students understand the importance of reading. Kate Warden is also the Executive Director of the Project. She expects that, in the end, the library will have an impact on the final examinations of the students. The reading will help the students improve on their writing skills and their speech as well, which are all basic and essential skills required to perform well in school. This is a great opportunity for the children. They are encouraged to read and they should do so. 

Reading skills in English will not only help the students to improve on their performance in school but will give them a better position in their whole future. As Michaela Brown, the project coordinator of ProWorld said, it will lead them out of poverty. This project is a mere starting point. Kate Warden hopes that nearby communities will follow their lead and be encouraged to build up libraries in their schools as well. They wish to spread the understanding of the importance of reading.