STOCK YOUR LIBRARY PROJECT – EPP BOOK SERVICES

                                                    Speech by:

                                     PROF. PERPETUA S. DADZIE

                       PRESIDENT, GHANA LIBRARY ASSOCIATION

                                    THURSDAY, MARCH 24 2016

                                BRITISH COUNCIL HALL, ACCRA

Mr. Chairman

Her Excellency, Mrs. Matilda Amissah - Arthur

Executive Director, EPP Book Services

Teachers and Pupils of selected beneficiary schools

Distinguished ladies and gentleman

The Ghana Library Association is greatly honored to be associated with EPP’s across the country with books and other learning materials to enhance teaching and learning. From my own perspective, this laudable project will also help to improve the reading habits of Ghanaians and also facilitate access to knowledge and information.

I wish to commend EPP Book Services for commencing this project with the Ghana Library Association. The Association over the past three years started the annual celebration of the library week in which an important activity such as the Reading Clinic was introduced. In its celebration of the Library Week, pupils in selected schools with the support of their teachers were taken through reading activities such as Read aloud, storytelling, spelling, comprehension and summary reports. These schools then form the nucleus of the Association’s Readers Club. The focus of the Association was to ‘catch them young. Pupils from primary 3 to 6 were therefore engage in reading clubs. Books which were receive from different publishers in Ghana including EPP were donated after the week’s celebration to the schools.

Since then, the Association has been periodically visiting the schools. Since then, the Association has been periodically visiting the schools to ensure that pupils are benefiting from the reading materials.

I would specifically want to acknowledge the presence of teachers and pupils from a cross section of schools who formed the nucleus of the Association’s readers Club to stand. They are:

Northern Region: Police Barracks Primary Schools, Madina

                                SDA Primary School

Central Region: Catholic Basic School at Okyeso

                             Presby Model School, Amamoma

Each of the schools is taking away ……… books for a start. More books would be donated from time to time.

Let me also add that the Association does not find it adequate to just donate books and other reading materials to institutions. We believe that the beneficiaries should be instructed on how to use the materials effectively and efficiently. The Association has therefore, partnered with Biblionef Ghana to provide training for some teachers on how to manage the books and how to sustain pupils’ interest in reading and library activities. Thank you, Director of Biblionef.

Ladies and gentlemen, there is ample evidence of poorly stocked libraries or in some cases the non-existence of libraries in our schools today. This state of affairs does not augur well for the future of our children. Libraries provide free reading materials to its patrons. Librarians play a crucial role in instructing patrons how to find, use, evaluate the materials they read so that the appropriate information is used to enhance learning and teaching. Librarians have programs in place to ensure the books are read and that the morale in the books reflect in the lives of the readers. It is for this reason that I commend EPP for the project aptly named “Stock Your Library Project” which will ultimately help improve the reading and literacy skills of primary schools in Ghana.

I have been assured that this project will be implemented up to the University level and this means after the primary school education, there will be books and other reading materials in senior secondary schools, polytechnics as well as the universities.

At this juncture, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to make a special appeal to corporate organizations to support the efforts of EPP Book Services. Please help build libraries in these schools which are being piloted with this project. For a start, the Association will be grateful if you will donate 40 footer containers which can be redesigned to house the materials being donated by EPP. It will give a feel of libraries to our pupils who have never seen or heard about libraries.

In conclusion, let me thank EPP Book Services for this laudable project and also assure you of the Association’s unflinching support to ensure the success of the project.

Thank you.