Professor Oquaye lauds freedom to write and read

Professor Mike Oquaye, Second Deputy Speaker of Parliament on Tuesday said the right to read write and acquire knowledge was the most important human right.

He said: “The whole of learning is to read and write and be able to manipulate figures.”

Speaking at a literacy project launch in Accra, Prof Oquaye said for children to make head way in reading they must vacate watching television.

The project is supported by Child Right International in collaboration with Menifee Valley College, a Community School in California, America.

The project has made available books including genre such as novels, drama, poetry, mathematics and science for primary, junior high school and senior high school students.

He said reading educated, entertained and helped children to avoid bad company.

Mr Bright Appiah Executive Director of the project said it was meant to encourage reading among children in the rural areas.

According to him research had shown that 54 per cent of children from the rural area could not read and write especially those from farming communities because there were no reading materials for them.

He said the project would distribute 34,000 books to 100 communities across the country.

Mr Appiah explained that members of parliament whose communities would benefit from the project would have to find library space.

He said the project would soon include e-learning centres that would involve the one computer for a child programme and targeting only communities that had electricity.

The project offered books to pupils from Adabraka Junior High School and Charity Baptist Church School, in Accra

Source: GNA