Why Ghanaian students must read extensively

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okpoti Apedwa 10 years ago

you are not far from right

you are not far from right
SARPONG 10 years ago

Great article Mr Inusah. The fact is that reading has declined around the world and we have the computer age to thank for. Now everybody is behind the computer playing games.

It is now fashionable to be "whatsupping" or "T ...
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Great article Mr Inusah. The fact is that reading has declined around the world and we have the computer age to thank for. Now everybody is behind the computer playing games.

It is now fashionable to be "whatsupping" or "Twitting" and reading is now for real old folks. When I go to the library nowadays, most of the people reading magazines and newspapers are the old folks or the homeless people.

I read all the Dennis Whitley twenty something books the third year in secondary school in Ghana.

Newspapers are now not read and many of those papers are going out of business. I find joy and solace in reading for its calming influence. As human beings, you are going to learn more in life not from the classroom but what you read on your own.

Thanks for reminding us.
mojingles 10 years ago

Sarpong, reading is a joy and a tremendously beneficial exercise just as the young man, Inusah pointed out in his first foray on Ghanaweb....

Like you, I devoured wonderful books....mainly African literature...... while in ...
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Sarpong, reading is a joy and a tremendously beneficial exercise just as the young man, Inusah pointed out in his first foray on Ghanaweb....

Like you, I devoured wonderful books....mainly African literature...... while in secondary school in the seventies...magazines and newspapers were my sources of information on global issues...besides honing my writing skills...Newsweek and Time magazines in their glory days were the best....

The worldwide decline in reading has much to do with the internet as you rightly asserted..but let us not discount the laziness and the dearth of motivation gripping young folks these days. There are a few exceptions, of course, and this is not an indictment of a whole generation, by any stretch of the imagination....

While we are it, why don't we take a good look at the education system, a rickety and error-laden contraption that was foisted on the young generation by a bunch of old guys/gals who should have known better...the consequences are there for everyone to see....the writer touched on its most prominent failures.......yes, the young must be chastised for not reading but so, too, should the education system for failing the young in Ghana....
PACAS 10 years ago

Thank you for this wonderful write-up.

But why don't Ghanaian students read beyond their notes?

(1)...Our learning and political environment

The last few days, POTAG and UTAG members were on strike to press home the ...
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Thank you for this wonderful write-up.

But why don't Ghanaian students read beyond their notes?

(1)...Our learning and political environment

The last few days, POTAG and UTAG members were on strike to press home the need for their research and BOOK allowances. Ask how many books each of these lecturers wrote for Ghanaian students to read. And your answer is zero.

(2)Teachers will hardly ask questions beyond their notes. And the Ghanaian society consider the best students as those with the best results. Conversely, the best teachers are those whose students get the best results.

Educational authorities have helped politicians and our 'illiterate' parents to reduce all the educational objectives into exam results. But how can a small pieces of paper called result slip summarize all the educational achievements of a student who spent 9 or 14/15 years before taking BECE or WASSCE respectively?
ADWEN 10 years ago

Inusah, your article though pertinent, should not address students only but to the general Ghanaian populace - politicians don't read beyond their reports, public managers don't read, graduates don't read anymore after their ...
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Inusah, your article though pertinent, should not address students only but to the general Ghanaian populace - politicians don't read beyond their reports, public managers don't read, graduates don't read anymore after their graduation failing to realise that by the time the graduate about 20-40% of the knowledge they might have acquired have become obsolete.
Lack of reading to acquire new ideas, to widen one's frame of reference, to deepen one's knowledgebase and repertoire, etc., has led to sterile political debates, mismanagement of our resources and most of the myopic thinking and extreme poverties in our part of the world.
BOY KOFI 10 years ago

Science and Technology should not be neglected to the background.I think Ghanaweb can do us a great favour if it will add SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY for us to read.Thank you.

Science and Technology should not be neglected to the background.I think Ghanaweb can do us a great favour if it will add SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY for us to read.Thank you.
RTK kornor 10 years ago

Thought provoking piece l cannot more agree wthyou kudos

Thought provoking piece l cannot more agree wthyou kudos
francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brother Inusah,

Another intriguing piece.

Certainly you and I agree on one thing, reading!

I have belored this question from time to time, particularly as it relates to critical reading.

Let me assure you th ...
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Dear Brother Inusah,

Another intriguing piece.

Certainly you and I agree on one thing, reading!

I have belored this question from time to time, particularly as it relates to critical reading.

Let me assure you that I enjoyed this piece. Keep up the good work

Thanks.
Repugnant. 10 years ago

So true! Ghana must not be left in the hands of ignorant exponents.

Quarts, i enjoy reading your handouts too. They're extremely refreshing. Thanks again.

So true! Ghana must not be left in the hands of ignorant exponents.

Quarts, i enjoy reading your handouts too. They're extremely refreshing. Thanks again.
Inusah Mohammed 10 years ago

Thank you very much boss!

Thank you very much boss!

francis kwarteng 10 years ago

Dear Brother,

You are the boss...Hahahahahaha.

You have given us something valuable to think about.

Indeed those of us who are passionate about education reform, STEM, and critical reading are grateful to you for br ...
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Dear Brother,

You are the boss...Hahahahahaha.

You have given us something valuable to think about.

Indeed those of us who are passionate about education reform, STEM, and critical reading are grateful to you for bringing up this issue.

Brother Repugnant, I am grateful to you for your kind words.

Have a great weekend!
Mr. Figure-Out 10 years ago

First of all I must give thumbs up to Inusah for this captivating piece, very abstract and aptly define what Nkrumah was and stood for in his entire life to unite Africa and rekindled the spirit of the Black race in Africa an ...
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First of all I must give thumbs up to Inusah for this captivating piece, very abstract and aptly define what Nkrumah was and stood for in his entire life to unite Africa and rekindled the spirit of the Black race in Africa and elsewhere around the globe. Though not Nkrumah fan for several reasons I admire his intellectual capabilities. What makes Inusah piece more captivating to me is the marvel of concision and clarity and one would wonder if Francis 'Trokosi ' Kwarteng has schooled himself of what I would termed as 'summarily abstracts' of events after reading Inusah live here on Ghanaweb. I don't mean to tell Kwarteng what to do but for him to intentionally take his readers through the pain of reading volumes of his works on Ghanaweb, most of which sheer repetitions, is not funny at all. I know he has something good to share but he can connect well to the general public if he could avoid his constant references to the Molefi Kete Asantes, the AMA Mazamahs, Sheik Anta Diops, Nkrumah was the Alpha and omega of all wisdom and Busia/Dankwahs were intellectual midgets and some Trokosi stuff like that, not forgetting his constant bashing of my Kookoase folks of which he is connected to, paternally.
asante 10 years ago

iam so much impressed

iam so much impressed
BOY KOFI 10 years ago

This is what my granddady told my mother when she was young and she passed it on to me.I did not attend any secondary school because of financial problems but I really adore reading and writing just like my grandpa said.You b ...
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This is what my granddady told my mother when she was young and she passed it on to me.I did not attend any secondary school because of financial problems but I really adore reading and writing just like my grandpa said.You become enlightened, especially when you do selective reading.This is one of the reasons why I do contribute on this forum almost on daily basis,it's part of the reading excercise.Thank you.
mahall 10 years ago

Am really inspired now to read more .thank you.

Am really inspired now to read more .thank you.
JONG 10 years ago

IT A SHAME POLITICIANS ARE BETTER OF THAN ORDINARY GHANAIAN EVEN THOUGH ORDINARY GHANAIAN VOTE GOT THEM THERE UNLESS THAT IS CHANGE GHANAIANS WILL NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY ESPECIALLY ORDINARY GHANAIAN

IT A SHAME POLITICIANS ARE BETTER OF THAN ORDINARY GHANAIAN EVEN THOUGH ORDINARY GHANAIAN VOTE GOT THEM THERE UNLESS THAT IS CHANGE GHANAIANS WILL NOT BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY ESPECIALLY ORDINARY GHANAIAN
kwame 10 years ago

nice one

nice one
hik 10 years ago

wow....i have been reading but this article has thrown me a challenge to read more! thanks

wow....i have been reading but this article has thrown me a challenge to read more! thanks
Iddris Salis Gulo 10 years ago

I found it beneficial reading this piece. I pray we all heed to the advice of extensive reading. Good work.

I found it beneficial reading this piece. I pray we all heed to the advice of extensive reading. Good work.
Jojo Hammond, New Jersey 10 years ago

Great piece, bro. You see how many comments your excellent piece has garnered. I bet some could not go beyond the first paragraph. If you had written an insulting piece, say about NDC/NPP, there would be more useless comment ...
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Great piece, bro. You see how many comments your excellent piece has garnered. I bet some could not go beyond the first paragraph. If you had written an insulting piece, say about NDC/NPP, there would be more useless comments. This tells me you have made a lot of us uncomfortable by hitting on a real problem facing us as a people.

Years ago the late Prof. K. Dickson, former VC of UCC told me during a social interaction that, every living/breathing being should read a least 2 hours a day. For those doing academic work he recommended not less than 3 hours a day. Your piece just reminded me of that important encounter with that brilliant Ghanaian. And mind you, by reading, he did not limit himself to pure academic literature.

Today, government communication and other political leaders(and by this and I am not limiting myself to those in power today), don't even know of what is in official documents. MPs don't read what they are voting for, especially contracts place before them to approve and vote on.

It is a shame and your piece could not have come at a more opportune time. Please let's hear from you again. Our nation still has hope.

DeLaw 10 years ago

I' challenged

I' challenged
NE 10 years ago

This is very profound!

This is very profound!
Joshua Amponsem 10 years ago

I like reading and I will encourage every youth or student to do the same - knowledge is power.

I like reading and I will encourage every youth or student to do the same - knowledge is power.
Emma 10 years ago

Most of our stidents think the internet and computers are replacement for reading. They use them rather for things that are not related to reading I think they should rather be tasked to read on the internet, because they pat ...
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Most of our stidents think the internet and computers are replacement for reading. They use them rather for things that are not related to reading I think they should rather be tasked to read on the internet, because they patronise it a lot.
Well done.
Edward Anokye 10 years ago

Very good article.
Some of us read extensively.
You will be delighted to meet us someday.

Very good article.
Some of us read extensively.
You will be delighted to meet us someday.
Muscatela 10 years ago

Good piece. One major challenge facing readers toady is that most libraries have collapsed and is very difficult getting good books these days.

Good piece. One major challenge facing readers toady is that most libraries have collapsed and is very difficult getting good books these days.
Patience 10 years ago

great article, am realised i knew next to noting when i stepped into my first lecture in the UK for a masters program. why because i had not read bayond what i was taught during my undergraduate studies in ghana so in underta ...
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great article, am realised i knew next to noting when i stepped into my first lecture in the UK for a masters program. why because i had not read bayond what i was taught during my undergraduate studies in ghana so in undertand fully what this article implies. to reiterate your point, reading widely must include literature that informs knowledge that will transfrom soceity and not just what will stimulate or excersise your brain, i see some people read lots of books whose contents do not add an iota of knowledge in them. all they read is novels of the various kinds and newspapers only. when i see this it saddens my heart. lets set examples by recommending thought provoking literature and gradually we will get there. Kudos
BOY KOFI 10 years ago

When you have read all the best books in the world without any conviction is as useless as not reading at all.I had wanted to be a scientist or an enginner because the law of nature inspires me a lot.In Ghana today barely a w ...
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When you have read all the best books in the world without any conviction is as useless as not reading at all.I had wanted to be a scientist or an enginner because the law of nature inspires me a lot.In Ghana today barely a week passes away without hearing Dr,Prof of Political Science sharing his view on some political event.Seldom do we hear our Scientists and Engineers sharing their views on energy,water and technology.We have neglected science and technology to the background knowing very well and good that these disciplines have the potential for solving some of our immediate necessities.Thank you.
kwame 10 years ago

World bank triggers bankruptcy any time you seek help

World bank triggers bankruptcy any time you seek help
Eklima 10 years ago

This is the wake- up call that we all need. Ghanaian students MUST read.

This is the wake- up call that we all need. Ghanaian students MUST read.

Dessy 10 years ago

..how many books out there on our university Labrariess to read or how many students get access to e-books?i found it fascinating that non of the rich people who has been trained by taxpayers money invest in libraries ..it is ...
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..how many books out there on our university Labrariess to read or how many students get access to e-books?i found it fascinating that non of the rich people who has been trained by taxpayers money invest in libraries ..it is fascinating
KBK 10 years ago

One of the greatest reasons why people, generally, (not only Ghanaians) do not read widely is that they read too slowly. When I was in school in Ghana in the 70s, speed reading was never taught. I don't know if they teach tha ...
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One of the greatest reasons why people, generally, (not only Ghanaians) do not read widely is that they read too slowly. When I was in school in Ghana in the 70s, speed reading was never taught. I don't know if they teach that now.

Even Ghanaians who love reading read far too slowly. If you can take four hours to read a novel of 450 pages, you won't be afraid of reading that novel. But if it will take you three or four days to finish the same book, you won't feel like reading another one for a long time.

That goes for other reading material too. If u can read Inusah's present article in 2 minutes, you'll quickly go on to something else. But if you plod over the article in ten minutes, that may be the only thing you'll read for the whole day.

In the end, even though people can be encouraged to read more especially from an early age, reading is a habit that is acquired basically by interest. These days there are so many competing interests. The reading interest loses out because reading is really not an easy thing to do. It is difficult to do. But it is very easy to play computer games, watch telenovela, football, go to beach parties, etcetera. It is human nature to choose the easier things in life to do, not the difficult things.
Alfred Godwin Adjabeng 10 years ago

Hey Mohammed!

This is an incredible piece. It has achieved its purpose. I'm really motivated by this work. Thanks for the share. God bless.

Hey Mohammed!

This is an incredible piece. It has achieved its purpose. I'm really motivated by this work. Thanks for the share. God bless.
ben 10 years ago

great job @ writer

great job @ writer
NON-ALIGNED 10 years ago

YOUR QUOTE: “The truth is that the Ghanaian student now does not read! The Ghanaian student does not cherish books, the nutrients of a fertile brain. The Ghanaian student does not read beyond his notes. Creativity is stifle ...
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YOUR QUOTE: “The truth is that the Ghanaian student now does not read! The Ghanaian student does not cherish books, the nutrients of a fertile brain. The Ghanaian student does not read beyond his notes. Creativity is stifled and innovation almost absent in the Ghanaian student due to the narrow dimensions of the mind of the Ghanaian student.”

Mohammed, what do you understand by education?

From where I stand, you and most educated illiterates, still seem to believe that ‘Education’ is all about perfecting other peoples ‘powerful tools’ (language) based on collecting knowledge without the basic understanding of its origins and values.

And it is also not about aping other humans’ lifestyle, totally contrary to our cultural heritage and good traditional beliefs.....which you are advocating.

What Winston Churchill has said or did say have already been said by many of our forefathers and foremothers (if I can put it that way too).

So, I expected a quote like that from you to be taken for example from the great warrior Queen Mother of Ejisu – Nana Yaa Asantewaa.
Please go check out her inspirational quote before organizing troops before the war against the British. And that was said in her ‘powerful tool’ called language………which inspired her people to fight for their human existence and heritage........with the little history your know about Ghana.

Ironically, Winston Churchill also galvanized the British to stand up to Hitler in his own ‘lingo’…..which also inspired his people to fight for their human existence and heritage.

In short, that is what education is all about. It is NOT and I repeat, NOT about one being deeply-rooted in the concept of reading a book (in someone else’s language), memorizing it again, again and again, regurgitating it out of the ‘memory box’ (that is, if one has one) unto an exam paper, get good grades and eventually attain a degree/masters and forget everything after the process.

Another sequence for this kind of education system is called – ‘chew’, ‘pour’, ‘pass’ and ‘forget’ – which gives no room for any form of analytical thinking after that so-called education process..........

The language encapsulated in our so-called ‘education’ system is in itself colonialist and suppressive.

As part of our so-called education, it has been devised for us Africans, to continue to be subservient to the former slave masters forever. It has created and still creates citizens who feel inferior to all other races. I hope you get my drift.

Therefore, my questions to you are, what do you want our Ghanaian students to read in?

Do the Chinese we use, to carry out our infrastructural developments here in Ghana, educate themselves in English? They come to work here without speaking a word of English. Please think deeply about it.

I will leave you with this African proverbfor you to dwell on.
“Don't set sail on someone else's star”.

GOD BLESS GHANA!
AFRICAN FOREVER!
Yaa 10 years ago

Wonderful,a great masterpiece.A must read for all

Wonderful,a great masterpiece.A must read for all

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Why Ghanaian students must read extensively

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