By Solomon Gumah, GNA
Tamale, April 15, GNA – Mr Aaron Kuwornu, the Northern Regional Director, Ghana Library Authority, has advised students to invest more time in reading resourceful materials to help build their leadership skills for national development.
He said reading was a crucial component of the overall development of students, which exposed them to knowledge acquisition and the ability to discover innovations and skills needed to improve the livelihoods of communities.
Mr Kuwornu said this whilst addressing students in Tamale during a debate organised for Junior High Schools in the Northern Region.
The event, dubbed: “Junior Debate Competition Championship 2024”, was organised by Glory Development Organization, an NGO, in partnership with the Northern Regional Office of the Ghana Library Authority.
Three schools: Sagnarigu Girls Model Junior High school, Glory Educational Complex, and Albarakat International School, were the competitors.
After the fiercely contested debate on child labour and its impact on children’s educational development, Albarakat International School was crowned winners.
Mr Kuwornu emphasised the need for parents and guardians to support their children to cultivate the culture of reading to develop their hidden potential.
“Parents and guardians must learn to monitor the kind of information their children are consuming to ensure they don’t read materials that are detrimental to their holistic growth and development,” he said.
Reverend Ebenezer Agyemang-Duah, Executive Director, Glory Development Organization, said the debate was to encourage students to research, learn and develop the skills to communicate effectively on issues affecting their development.
He emphasised the importance of motivating students to read, saying it afforded them the opportunity to be smarter and analytical in approaching the challenges confronting their communities.
“If the children are the leaders of tomorrow, then we must invest in building their communication skills and competence in order to guarantee that future,” he said.
Master Abdul-Mumeen Abdul-Waris, a student of Albarakat International, who participated in the competition, said it had boosted his confidence and ability to speak in public.
GNA