By Kingsley Webora TANKEH
The Girl Education Initiative Ghana (GEIG) has launched its ‘Read to Grow’ programme at the Covenant Presby School at Dzorwulu, with the aim of improving literacy in basic school children between the ages of 8 and 15 years.
The programme is designed to span the entire academic year, organising reading and writing exercises every Saturday of the week for the pupils. About 60 pupils and their parents attended the launch in Accra on Saturday, May 24, 2025.
Speaking at the launch event, the Founder and Executive Director of the Girl Education Initiative Ghana, Elizabeth Akua Nyarko Patterson, astounded by the enormous participation, exploded: “I am proud. It’s a good day for me and the organisation”. She, however, described the herculean tasks of organising the event.
She expressed her profound appreciation to the management of Covenant Presby School and the facilitators for the programme, who are mainly teachers at the school, for their support and for the opportunity to organise the event at the school’s premises.
While highlighting the activities lined up, she noted:“We have materials and lesson plans. Even if your child is an advanced reader, there is always something that he/she can pick up on. We have books for every grade level.
There are learning tools like ABC boards, cards for identifying colours and small words – like three letter words, two letter words and all that is foundational to students building their vocabulary and learning how to read,” she said.
She cited her children as an expample to buttress the fact that forming reading habits actually help children perform better. “The thing that my children love the most is reading. If a child can read a few words, a book every day, you will see the enormous impact. My son, for example, is six years old now and he is in fourth grade. So if my son can do it, I do not see why any other child cannot do it,” she stressed.
In her passion lies the aim of her organisation – to provide opportunities to children regardless of their family backgrounds and circumstances to be at par with other kids from different communities and different families.
Studies show that a high percentage of Ghanaian children fail to acquire basic literacy and numeracy skills by the end of primary school. This is partly due to a lack of quality educational resources, well-trained teachers and equitable access to education, especially for girls and those with disabilities.
The 2021 Population and Housing Census revealed that 7.9 million Ghanaians aged six and above lacked basic literacy skills.
The National Standardised Test, introduced in 2021 for primary four pupils, also showed that only 54 percent were proficient in reading and learning. These prompted the Ghana Statistical Services to conduct a nationwide survey in 2024 to assess learning poverty but has yet to release the results.
Learning poverty is the inability to read and understand a simple text by age 10. To nip the menace in the bud, the Association for the Development of Education in Africa (ADEA) has announced that Ghana will be hosting the 2025 ADEA Triennale on Education and Training, scheduled for 29th to 31st October, 2025 in Accra on the theme ‘Strengthening the resilience of Africa’s educational systems: Advancing toward ending learning poverty by 2035 with a well-educated and skilled workforce for the continent and beyond’.
In an effort to contribute to the national fight against learning poverty, the ‘Read to Grow’ programme will provide opportunities for both boys and girls from class 1 to 6 to access world-class reading and writing materials that will aid them to acquire the requisites reading skills for their age brackets and boost their interest in reading.
The Headmistress of Covenant Presby School, Evelyn Amoama Antwi, expressed gratitude to the organisers for choosing to conduct the exercise in her school, while highlighting the enormous benefits reading has on pupils.
“When they develop the habit of reading, it will reflect in their performance. So, instead of watching TV or catoons, parents should support and encourage their wards to read,” she advised, adding “When they (children) realise that my mother is interested, my father and siblings are interested in whatever I am reading, they will put in their best.”
The Chairman of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA) of Covenant Presby School, Stephen Braneh, whose ward in class four took part in the programme, expressed eagerness for a fruitful collaboration with GEIG to cultivate reading habits in their wards.
“When our wards are concerned, we are always ready to volunteer and partner. This is the good news we always want to hear. Every parent here is ready to bring his ward every Saturday to take part,” he concluded.
Established in 2015, the Girl Education Initiative Ghana (GEIG) is an NGO that provides academic and financial support for girls and people with special needs or disabilities to access higher education and professional opportunities.
The organisation has provided 70 girls from the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions with full financial support to go from class six all the way to the university. It has touched the lives of over 5,000 community participants in its programmes, which are held 3 times a year.
