Book fairs will promote lifelong reading among school children – Director of Education

The Regional Director of Education for Brong Ahafo Region, Dr. Peter Attafuah, has expressed his unflinching support toward effort by the Ghana Book Development Council and Ghana Book Publishers Association in promoting reading through the organisation of a Book Fair in Sunyani.

Dr. Attafuah believes that such opportunities offer school children the chance to come closer to books and also enable them have the opportunity to choose from among a variety books that whet their appetite.

He observed that the choice of a particular profession for any individual begins at an early stage of human development and therefore such opportunities contribute to the decision that they would make in future. He said, “As children at an early stage of development begin to see variety of books, pick them from shelves, flip through them, see pictures in them, read and begin to make comprehension their interest and decision towards particular professions which they drift towards starts”.

He is also of the belief that the idea of giving parents and guardians the opportunity to buy books at discounted prices during Book Fairs is an incentive to promoting reading. He therefore charged parents, guardians, opinion leaders, the media and all stakeholders who play a role in ensuring that children cultivate the habit of reading to actively participate in this year’s Book.

Fair which takes place in Sunyani in the Brong Ahafo Region. He encouraged parents to also read along with their children. He said “If a parent who could read would pick a book in the evening to read whilst extending a call to read to his/her children these young ones would definitely cultivate the habit of reading daily”.

If parents would read along with their children, ask them to summarise or even re-tell what they read regularly it would serve as a panacea for the challenge that the nation is facing in terms of the reading difficulty children are facing today. He recounted that in times of old the adults together with children used to gather round fires, at their compound or even market squares in the nights and told stories which taught the children lessons on morality. On this same score, reading competitions could be organised in the homes and in the communities by parents, and other community members who have the ability to do so.

Dr Attafuah made these assertions when a team comprising staff from Ghana Book Development Council and Ghana Book Publishers Association interacted with him as part of preparation toward organising this year’s Regional Book Fair in Sunyani.

Organizing Book Fairs is one of the efforts employed by Ghana Book Development Council to ensure that books are made available to school children by creating a favourable environment and an opportunity for parents and guardians to buy a variety of books at discounted prices.

This year’s Book Fair takes place on 14th -18th May in Sunyani at Sunyani Senior High School (SUSEC). It also serves as a prelude to the 17th International Book Fair which takes place in August 29 – September 1, 2019. It brings together all stakeholders who play diverse roles in ensuring that reading is promoted among school children.

The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC) is an Agency under the Ministry of Education mandated to oversee the development, regulation and effective planning of the Book industry in the country. One of its functions is to promote reading and creative-writing among school children.