Ho, June 19, GNA - Ghanaian students have been urged to develop a strong passion for reading as an academic requirement and for self-development.

Mr Mawuli Tse, Co-ordinator of the Mawuli Fund in Ghana gave the advice when he presented 25,000 books covering various disciplines valued at two billion cedis on behalf of the Fund for distribution among 17 Senior Secondary Schools in the Volta region at Mawuli School on Friday.

The books which were acquired with the assistance of "Books for Africa", a United States of America (USA) based non-governmental organisation, were brought into the country with the assistance of the US Department of Defence Humanitarian Relief Programme and the US branch of the Fund.

Mr Tse observed: "We as a people, are known to be lazy when it comes to reading and this culture is slowing down our development as a nation".

He said those who discovered the passion of reading would testify that it opens new worlds, fires up the imagination and inspires people to be greater than themselves.

"It helps us understand our emotions, and connects us to the world around us. It builds us as a people", Mr Tse reiterated. He said the Fund was excited by the opportunity to give the students the opportunity to discover new worlds through reading. He urged the students not to hide the books and "not let them gather dust", saying rather, they should share them through their libraries and book clubs.

Mr Tse said the Fund was established in the USA in 1998 as a non-profit organisation and registered in Ghana in 2004, with the aim of reaching all friends of Mawuli School to facilitate the development of the School and its students.

Mr Victor Mensah, Ho District Director of Education, who received the books on behalf of the Regional Director, thanked the Fund for helping to address one of the essential needs of students in the region. He asked the beneficiary schools and the students to reciprocate the gesture of the Fund by making good use of the books.