Mr Amuda Jimah Mohammed, Chairman and Northern Regional Representative of the Ghana Library Association (GLA), has called on school authorities to encourage pupils to use the libraries to inculcate the habit of reading in them and help improve their vocabularies.

Mr Mohammed made the call at the closing session of the Second National Library and Information Week Celebration organised by GLA in Tamale on Friday.

This year’s celebration, which began on Tuesday, was to create awareness on improving reading habits of basic school pupils in the Northern Region and promote information literacy amongst adults in the country.

As part of the celebrations, pupils from various schools in the region were assembled and encouraged to read books.

Mr Mohammed said: “Pupils should be motivated to read and know how to use reading materials to improve themselves and their social environment.”

“Teachers should provide reading lists to accompany what is done in class and give assignments that will prompt pupils to research in the school or public libraries.

“Since education involves interaction between learners, learning materials, and teachers, teachers must be enthused to read for themselves to inculcate a lifelong reading habit in the pupils.”

Alhaji Mohammed Seidu Issah Abbah, Head of the Inspectorate Unit of the Northern Regional Directorate of Education, emphasised the need for reading amongst children to improve their vocabularies and understanding of lessons in class.

He urged teachers to help develop the capacity of children to learn to achieve greater laurels.

The GLA presented 300 textbooks of various subjects to the SDA Basic and Police Barack Basic schools in Tamale to be used by members of ‘reading clinics’ established in those schools.