The Ghana Book Development Council (GBDC), in collaboration with the Ghana Association of Writers (GAW), has organised a creative-writing workshop for some selected senior high schools in the Greater Accra Region.

The workshop which took place on February 14, 2020, at Accra Girls Senior High School, was geared toward generating interest in reading and creative writing among students in the senior high schools. It was also to equip them with the necessary skills set to enable them strengthen their respective reading clubs as well as set up reading and creative writing clubs in schools where such clubs do not exist.

Speaking at the opening of the workshop, on behalf of the Executive Director of Ghana Book Development Council, the Literacy Promotion Manager of Ghana Book Development Council, Mr Daniel Ofosu- Asamoah, recounted some of the interventions made by the Council at the Basic school level to ensure that pupils and students cultivate a life-long reading culture.

According to him, the Council undertakes year-long reading activities for Primary and Junior High schools and also provide them with assorted reading books to enable them cultivate the habit of reading for recreation. All these, he said, were done from its coffers and in collaboration with both government and non- government agencies.

In his concluding remarks, the Assistant Headmaster of Accra Girls’ Senior High School, Mr. Prince Agortey, who also doubled as the Chairperson of the programme, encouraged and also admonished the students to translate the knowledge that they have acquired into practical realities. He further urged them to ensure that they replicate whatever that they have learnt during the programme in their respective schools so that those who could not get the opportunity to participate in the programme would also benefit from the exercise.

Participating Schools

Eight senior high schools, totalling 181 students, participated in the Creative Writing Workshop. The schools include Presec Senior High School (Legon), Accra Girls’ Senior High School, GHANATA Senior High School, Presec Tema Senior High School, Accra Academy Senior High School, St Aquinas Senior High School, Amassaman Senior High School, and Kwabenya Senior High School.

Workshop Sections

The workshop which was under theme, “Nurturing Reading and Writing in Schools,” comprised three sections: Fiction Writing, Essay/Article Writing and General Writing. The students were made to join sections that were of interest to them. The workshop was interactive and practical. This was followed by a session where all the students were briefed on all the topics discussed. The students were also made to write on topics that were chosen by their respective resource persons. The Council looks forward to organising similar programmes for senior high schools in other regions in the country in the course of the year. It thus calls on all organisations – both government and non-government- with the same vision to partner the Council with the view to reaching as many schools as possible.