The past National Democratic Congress (NDC) Constituency Chairman for Lower Manya Krobo in the Eastern Region, David Walter Homenu, is advocating for the improvement of the reading culture among students in the country’s basic schools.

Mr. Homenu said policymakers and stakeholders must get involved in efforts to improve the low reading habits of pupils and students.

According to the NDC stalwart, the apparent disregard for the culture of reading among young pupils resulted in poor English standards, adding that the imminent intervention by various stakeholders was critical in addressing the disturbing phenomenon.

“These days, nobody is paying attention to reading, and so you see, our children's speaking of English is not that encouraging because they don’t read much, so I think all stakeholders should get involved to support in that direction. The policymakers should also lead the way by giving directives where the schools can make it part and parcel of their routine activities to inculcate reading habits in our children,” he stressed.

Speaking during the donation of 100 reading books to two basic schools in the area to mark his birthday, the former chairman urged the students to take their studies seriously.

Asked what he thought should be done to improve the reading habits amongst pupils and students, he posited that the activity should be made a key subject area of the country’s educational curriculum, adding that “there should be a concerted effort to inculcate reading in our children.”

Mr. Homenu decried the poor reading habit amongst the general populace and urged them to adopt the habit.

Donation of reading books:

The NDC stalwart, accompanied by some party faithful, presented the educational materials to the Matse Israel and Kpongunor Presby Primary schools.

The books, he stressed, are to aid the education of the pupils, particularly in developing their interest in reading.

“I’m donating 100 reading books to them to support the schools’ education. Education is done in English, and literacy and numeracy are keys to perfection in any academic direction,” said the benefactor.

Lamenting over the absence of functional libraries in the Krobo area, he said the donation is to improve the literacy of the students and expressed regret that reading no longer received the necessary attention in schools.

The former NDC chairman has, since 2016, embarked on the donation of educational
materials to various schools to aid the institutions in the training of their students.