Invest in education of children — Mrs Amissah-Arthur
The International Children’s Book Reading Day has been celebrated in Accra, with a call on parents to invest in the education of their children.
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The event, on the theme, “Once Upon the Time”, was also used to encourage Ghanaian children to see reading as the vehicle to their success in life.
Perseverance
The wife of the Vice-President, Mrs Matilda Amissah-Arthur, who made the call, underscored the importance of perseverance, adding that determination was the ladder to every meaningful achievement in life.
She advised children not to be intimidated by their immediate circumstances or limitations but rather strive to become influential people in future by enriching their knowledge through regular reading.
Presentation
Mrs Amissah-Arthur used the day to present a number of exercise and reading books to some schools.
The event was characterised by cultural display, poetry recitals and presentation of awards to schools such as the Additrom and the Step By Step schools.
Advice
The Minister of Youth and Sports, Nii Lamptey Vanderpuije, suggested that reading should be inculcated in children during the early stages of their education.
He said children became well informed and were also able to identify a wide range of opportunities for career paths and guidance through reading.
The minister added that reading prevented children from social vices such as stealing, smoking and drinking.
Technology
Nii Vanderpuije lauded the high interest shown by the youth in the use of the new media but expressed concern over their indulgence in its usage.
“While Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, among other platforms, are competing for children’s attention, pornography and occultism on the Internet are also diverting them from our moral and socio-cultural norms,” he said.
According to him, modern technology was fast eroding the country’s social values, saying that “families are no longer communicating with one another; we are not having the opportunity to teach our children the things they should know and the things they should grow up with. Children prefer to sit long hours in front of television sets watching cartoons”.
“Reading has been neglected and relegated to the background. You are sure to incur the annoyance of your child if you push him or her to read, but I stand here today to encourage children that the best source of knowledge is reading and not the television and the Tablet. Let’s spend more time reading,” he admonished children.
