<<Print>>

The Member of Parliament (MP) for Ellembelle, Mr. Emmanuel Armah-Kofi Buah, has advised parents that the best legacy they can bequeath to their children is the investment in their education.

    “Parents must, therefore, purchase educative books for their children, teach and monitor them to read, and encourage them to utilise the knowledge towards building successful adult lives," he advised.

      Mr. Buah, who is also the Minister for Petroleum, said this at the Conference for the launch of the Nzema Libraries Project, at Half-Assini, in the Jomoro District of the Western Region.

       The Project, under the auspices of the Elite Providers International, a Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), has the motto, "Reading with Excellence".

        Mr. Buah pledged his commitment to the project, saying it was remarkable, and lauded the NGO for the effort to better the lives of children in the Nzema communities.

        He said as the Government was adopting pragmatic steps to improve the reading culture of pupils, it was prudent for the NGO to partner it to achieve that feat.

        Mr. Buah, therefore, asked the pupils in the area to make effective reading a habit as it was a tool for self-confidence and self-actualisation in all endeavours of life.

     The Director of the Libraries Project, Madam Yaaba Awuah, said the Elite Providers was a Non-Profit Organisation, open to all Nzemas in the United States of America (USA). It seeks to promote a community of reading and leadership.

      She said: “As reading opens doors to employment and impacts positively on personal and national development, the NGO is poised to create an enabling environment to encourage reading among school children in the three Districts of Nzema land.”

         Madam Awuah said the NGO would, consequently, form an alliance with parents on how best their children could commit themselves to extensive reading and appealed to the Chief and the Jomoro District Chief Executive for land to expand the project.

        She said the NGO would advance to electronic reading (e-reading) where children would read on tablets to ensure life-long academic success.

        The Acting Western Regional Director of the Ghana library Board, Madam Mercy Ackah, said her outfit would continue to organise reading competitions to unearth the potentials of the children.

        She said reading formed a major component in the pursuit of education and the acquisition of knowledge and challenged the children to form a reading habit by visiting the school and community libraries to update their knowledge.

        Madam Ackah advised English teachers to form reading camps for the children to whip up their enthusiasm in reading so that it would enhance their understanding of all other subjects they studied.

       The MP for Prestea Huni-Valley, Mr. Francis Adu-Blay, asked parents to complement the efforts of teachers by teaching and educating their children at home for them to pursue higher education.

        He encouraged parents to forgo certain expenditures, especially on expensive funerals, and rather invest in their children's education.

       The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Jomoro, Mr. George William Somiah, also praised the NGO for the laudable project.

       “The Government will, therefore, lend the required support to you to carry out the mandate of empowering school children in Nzema to accelerate the pace of development in the area.”