The founder of Share Foundation, a non-governmental organisation that caters for the educational needs of needy, brilliant children, Ms Lily Akua Mintah, has appealed to parents to encourage their children to read to enable them to understand English and acquire knowledge about their environment.
She noted that apart from helping to improve the understanding of the English language and aiding them to perform well in school, reading will also banish ignorance and illiteracy.
Ms Mintah, whose NGO won the Education Category of the MTN Heroes of Change Awards in April 2014, gave the advice at the sixth edition of a reading and quiz competition for basic schools held at the Republic Road Basic School in the Tema Metropolis.
Participating schools included the Teshie Anglican 1 and 2 Basic School, Naval Base Basic School, SDA–Tema New Town Basic School, Tema New Town Methodist Basic School and Community 1 Oninku Primary School.
The rest are Community 2 Aggrey Road 1 and 2 Primary School, Community 8 Number 3 and 4 Primary School, Republic Road Basic School and Boundary Road Basic School.
The programme coincided with the 10th anniversary of the Share Foundation which had participants reading the book, “When the shackles fall” authored by Ruby Yayra Goka after which they answered comprehension questions and also took part in a spelling contest.
At the end of the contest, Miss Mary Essoun of Tema New Town Methodist Basic School emerged the champion while Miss Tracy Mensah of Aggrey Road Basic School placed second. She was followed by Master Prince Abordo of Teshie Anglican Number 2 who came third.
Rev. Gilbert Mensah Amartey of the Diamond Children’s Foundation in the United Kingdom, a foundation which has been collaborating with Share Foundation, stressed the need for reading skills to be imparted to the youth from
Basic school to the tertiary level.
