First Lady Mrs. Akufo-Addo going through some of the books in the library
First Lady, Rebecca Akufo-Addo, on Saturday, October 12, 2019, commissioned a new children’s library at the Joseph Boakye Danquah Memorial Centre, in the Eastern Region.
The Kyebi Children’s Library constructed by the Okyenhene, Osagyefo Amoatia Ofori Panin, formed part of his commitment to enhancing education in the country.
Commissioning the facility, Mrs. Akufo-Addo congratulated the Okyenhene for the construction of the library, saying the importance of children’s libraries cannot be discounted as they help to develop and improve children’s reading and writing skills.
She said educational facilities like libraries serve as a solid foundation for children in developing their intellectual abilities, and enabling them to function better in today’s technological age.
Mrs. Akufo-Addo said The Rebecca Foundation of which she is the Founder, has rolled out a television reading programme called Learning to Read, Reading to Learn, to help encourage the culture of reading among Ghanaian children.
She said The Foundation has also built four libraries, in Bia West in the Western North Region, Dafiama Busei Issah District in the Upper West Region, Wenchi in the Bono Region and Moree in the Central Region and will continue to constructing libraries in school clusters where they are needed the most.
The First Lady also emphasized the need for particular attention to be paid to children with disabilities to ensure that they are not left behind in the quest for enhanced child literacy skills.
She called on parents to guide their children to take full advantage of libraries by patronising them frequently, stating that “the library is a special place for our children, a safe place for them to acquire knowledge. It has a large collection of books and other resources covering a wide range of subjects for their benefit”.
The First Lady also urged for management of libraries to regularly resource them with updated information to maintain their relevance.
She urged Foundations, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), corporate bodies and individuals to step up to support the government’s wonderful works at improving our educational sector by helping to ensure that libraries across the country are stocked with current reading materials, in order to make them continuously attractive to children.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri