Kumasi, Aug. 19, GNA - Dr Kwame Danso, a lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), on Tuesday said the growing interest in television viewing by children contributed partly to this year's mass failure in the Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE).

He explained that instead of children devoting their time to study, they rather waste their time watching TV programmes, which made them unable to read and understand the examination questions well.

The lecturer said this at the launch of the "Teens' World" magazine at the Grace Baptist Church, Amakom in Kumasi on Sunday.

Dr Danso expressed worry about the growing number of students, who graduated from the Junior High School through to the tertiary level but were never fluent in the English language because they had not cultivated the habit of reading.

He urged students to improve themselves by reading materials that would help build in themselves good morals.

Reverend Mary Pokuaa, Minister in charge of the Teens' Ministry, who launched the Ministry's maiden magazine, said the magazine was to help inculcate the habit of reading and writing in the youth.

She said the 40-page magazine, which would come out annually, also sought to point out problems facing teenagers especially to be addressed by parents, the church, society, government and other stakeholders. The Minister in charge of the teens' department noted that, 90 per cent of the write ups were done by the teenagers.

"Teens' World" magazine has in it a panorama on "should Christian doctrine be made compulsory in Christian schools, education on health issues, treated topic on the challenges of the 21st Century Teen" among others.

Reverend Kwame Owusu Agyemang of the Calvary Charismatic Baptist Church, Patasi in Kumasi in an exhortation, called on the youth to build their lives on Christ by making friends with the right people. The first copy of the magazine was auctioned at GH¢100.