The Steve Tenkamenin Awuya Addae Foundation (STAAF) has launched a reading project for kids in the rural settings, to help bridge the huge “ability to read” gap between the rural and urban kids.
The project is designed to provide libraries is several rural areas around the country, beginning from Sokpoe in the Volta Region.
Founder of STAAF, Steven Awuyah Addae said the vision was born when he stumbled on a data on the reading ability of kids in the primary schools in the country, which showed a rather huge and worrying gap between rural and urban kids.
He explained that, a study conducted in 2013 by the Assessment Services Unit (ASU) of Ghana Education Service with support from Research Triangle International and USAID, among 19,458 Primary three pupils and 17,447 Primary six pupils in 550 public and private schools in 170 districts show a generally low level of reading and comprehension among kids in Ghana.
The study also revealed that 44% of pupils could read without understanding what they read, while only 4% of pupils were able to read with some understanding, and only 2% of were able to read fluently with comprehension.
The report also show that pupils in urban schools performed better than children in rural schools, and also revealed a gender gap and disparity between rural and urban areas, as well as between southern and northern parts of Ghana.
Steve Awuyah Addae said “the disparity shows a disconnect between the urban and rural areas and poses dire sociological concerns.”
He believes the only way to bridge this gap was to consciously instill reading habits in children at the basic level and provide access to materials that aid the learning process.
STAAF is therefore building a community library in Sokpoe and starting a reading program in the South Tongu district, a project that will be replicated across many rural communities across the country.
Guest speaker, Professor Christian Awuyah, who is the Director of Frederick Douglass at the West Chester University in Pennsylvania, stressed on the need to make children see reading as a way to unlock the doors of opportunity in life.
He attributed his achievements in life to reading, saying that as a boy, he used to walk from Pig Farm to Accra Central just to have access to a Library and read.
“No matter our circumstances, the moment we open a book to reading, we could maximize our potentials,” he said.
Rev. Dr. Joyce Aryee, in a keynote address read on her behalf, emphasized the importance of reading and urged the Foundation to extend the library project to rural communities across the country.
The chiefs and people of Sokpoe donated a land and 100 bags of cement as their contribution to the building of the community library.
Twenty-thousand Ghana Cedis and $6,000 was realized as seed money to build the first library at Sokpoe.
In attendance were the traditional leaders, Assembly members, Sokpoe Youth Development Association and the USAID Country Education Officer, Dr. James Dobson.
STAAF also presented awards to volunteers who contributed in diverse ways to make the launch successful. Among the recipients were Gifty Ahlidjah, Nana Osei Bonsu Amankwah, Constance Kumodzie, and Shelter Amezugbe.