Upper East celebrates Library and Information Week
The Upper East Region on Monday celebrated its Maiden Library and Information Week with a call on the government and the Volta River Authority (VRA) to exempt public libraries from the pre-paid the meter system.
Mr John Ayeseya, the Regional Libarian and also a member of the Ghana Library Authority Board who made the call in Bolgatanga, said that libraries in Ghana did not generate income to be in the position to buy power from VRA.
He expressed regret that most of the Municipal and District Assemblies (MDAs) in the Region had failed to perform one of their core mandates which was to establish libraries in their areas of operation.
He said the Region’s library services started in 1969 with the Bolgatanga Library being the main one with a few branch libraries at Navrongo, Sandema and Bongo and noted that the library network had grown to appreciable level even though there was the need to do more.
Mr Ayeseya said the Navrongo Library was in a deplorable state and appealed to the Kassena-Nankana Municipal Assembly to come to its aid by renovating and stocking it with the relevant books.
Mr Thomas Azure, a retired staff of the Ghana Statistical Service, said he used the Bolgatanga Library to study that enabled him to write both the “Ordinary” and “Advanced” Level Certificate examinations and did further studies to acquire first and second degrees.
He said apart from improving upon one’s vocabulary and verbal skills, reading also stimulated one’s imagination and helped to promote patience particularly by reading novels and urged parents to encourage their children to read.
The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Daniel Syme, appealed to MDAs including Members of Parliament and NGOs to help establish community libraries and stock them with the relevant books.
He appealed to heads of schools, librarians, Parent/Teacher Associations as well as parents to help educate the youth by encouraging them to read instead of watching movies which were most often pornographic.
Source: GNA