Kumasi, March 25, GNA - Bosomtwe-Atwima-Kwanwoma (BAK) District emerged winners in the inter-district reading and spelling competition organised by the Ghana Book Trust (GBT) for lower and upper primary schools from the Ashanti Region in Kumasi. Sekyere East placed second and Kwabre took the third position. The other participating districts were Adansi South, Ahafo-Ano South and Amansie West.

Each district presented two participants, one for lower and the other for upper primary.

Emmanuel Adusei Poku and Elvis Enningful from Esreso Primary School, who represented BAK, took home books, pens, pencils, school bags, football, certificates and Gh¢100 each as their prizes. Sekyere East and Kwabre had 50 and 20 Ghana cedis as well as reading materials respectively while the rest of the districts received books.

Mr Robert Amoako, Executive Director of the Ghana Book Trust, said the competition was an exercise to assess the performance of the pupils after GBT and the Canadian Organisation for Development of Education (CODE) had trained teachers in those districts on effective teaching of reading skills and presented the pupils with reading books. He said the Trust would organise reading and library management training course for 256 teachers in the Kwabre and Amansie East districts next year.

Mr Joseph K. Onyinah, Kumasi Metropolitan Director of Education, commended the GBT for helping to improve reading and spelling skills among pupils in the region. He also praised the participants and the teachers for their hard work and appealed to the GBT to sustain the programme to benefit other districts in the region.