The United Bank for Africa (UBA) Foundation on Thursday presented 2000 copies of literature books to the Accra Academy and Wesley Girls Senior High Schools in Accra.
The African Literature books authored by Professor Ama Ata Aidoo and titled ‘The Girl we can’ would help instill the culture of reading among students in senior high schools in the country.
The UBA Foundation is the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the UBA Plc and for the past four years, the UBA Ghana has been supplying literature books written by African writers to a number of senior high schools with the ultimate aim of improving both written and verbal communication in English.
Ms Obi Ibekwe, Executive Director of Resources, UBA Ghana, who represented the Chairman of the Foundation, said it is through reading that individuals gain greater understanding, which in turn leads to better insight and solution to challenges.
She said it is not only giving back to the society that matters but also creating a dynamic educational platform for the future generations of the country.
She said the ‘Read Africa’ initiative’ where the Bank gives literature books is one of the flagship activities that encourages young people to not only read books of all kinds, but also explore and shape their own narratives.
Ms Ibekwe said in conjunction with the initiative, the Bank has successfully implemented the National Essay writing competition for senior high schools.
The Executive Director implored young people to read widely and voraciously to enable them develop their future.
“Knowledge and pursuit should be a lifelong activity that continues to enrich one’s life,” she added.
She expressed the hope that the initiative would continue to grow in scope and impact, influencing the lives of all those involved its activities.
Mr Samuel Ofori Agyei, Headmaster of Accra Academy, commended the Bank for its efforts and said the presentation of the literature books was more valuable than most of the educational activities organised in schools.
The Headmaster encouraged students to take reading seriously, since the Bank has invested heavily in acquiring these educational materials.
He assured management of the Bank that the presentation would reflect on the performance of the students.
Prof Aidoo called on teachers, stakeholders in the educational sector and parents to continue to encourage students to cultivate the habit of reading regularly.
She said even though standards have really fallen, there should not be any blame game, but rather there should be more literature books from the foundation of education in the country.
