Mobile Library Service makes impact in Ashanti Region
The Mobile Library Service (MLS), being operated by the Ghana Library Authority (GhLA) in three districts in the Ashanti Region, is making great impact in the development of education in the operational areas.
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The Ashanti Regional Mobile Library Officer, Mr Ofosu Frimpong, who disclosed this to the Daily Graphic, said recent visits to the various schools in the operational areas showed great improvement in the reading habits of the pupils as they could now read with much confidence, compared to the period before the programme started.
The service, which started four years ago in the region, currently operates in the Asante Akim South, Amansie Central and Bosome Freho districts.
Commendations
Mr Frimpong commended the Ghana Book Trust (GBT) and the Canadian Organisation for Development through Education (CODE) which had supported 40 schools in the Ashanti Region, and called for support for the project to be extended to other districts in the region.
The project involves library management and the supply of reading books to the three districts in the region towards the mobile library project as it helped in the training of school librarians and established libraries in communities in the districts.
The MLS involves the transportation of library books and computers with Internet service to deprived rural areas to be patronised by pupils and students in those areas.
The Ashanti Region has one mobile library van stocked with 8,785 books and four computers and accessories for pupils and students .
The MLS initiative in the region is a collaboration between the GhLA and the GBT, with support from CODE, a Canadian international literacy non-governmental organisation.
In 2009, the Ministry of Education donated 10 vans for the project, representing one van to each region.
Challenges
The major challenge confronting the exercise is the lack of electricity in most communities, making it difficult for the team to operate the computer service with Internet connectivity in those communities.
Most of the schools also do not have libraries and as such their library books are usually kept in the office of the headmasters of the respective schools.
In certain communities, the books are kept in the houses of individuals, which means the children have to carry them to and from school every day.
Collaboration with education officers
The team usually visits the various education offices in the districts where they intend to operate to seek permission, as well as announce their presence in the district to avoid conflict or confrontation with education directorates.
The collaboration so far has been cordial, since all the districts have always supported the project, and called on the team to visit them regularly.
A trekking officer of the MLS, Mr Anane Frimpong, appealed for a generator so that at places where there was no electricity, they could still operate the computers and the Internet services.