The much-anticipated maiden Cocoa Community Annual Reading Festival has been held in the Ahafo Ano Southeast district of the Ashanti Region. First of its kind in Ghana, the Annual Reading Festival forms part of Participatory Development Associates (PDA), and Magic Library Foundation’s (MLF) Cocoa Communities’ Library Project in Ghana. The project is intended to ignite the reading interest of primary school pupils while facilitating their cognitive development.
The reading festival, which was held on Tuesday, 5th December 2023, was a follow-up competition between schools in the Ahafo Ano Southeast and Ahafo Ano Southwest districts, who booked their spots in the grand finale after placing first and second in the cluster-level competition from their respective districts. The competing schools were Asempaneye Basic School, Barniekrom D/A Primary, Potrikrom D/A Primary, and Mankranso D/A Primary ‘B’. About 100 participants attended the event, including students, teachers, reading club patrons, and dignitaries from the Ghana Education Directorate in the two districts.
In her opening remarks, the Project Coordinator for the Cocoa Communities’ Library Project, Victoria Ampiah, highlighted the project’s substantial impact on the academic performance of participating students. She underscored key milestones, including the refurbishment of libraries in two (2) schools, previously in deplorable conditions, now stocked with books of African origin. Moreover, the establishment of reading clubs in various schools has significantly contributed to enhancing students’ confidence and self-esteem.
The competition unfolded across four intense rounds encompassing a spelling bee, speed tests, comprehension assignments, and crossword challenges. After a keenly contested competition, Mankranso D/A Primary ‘B’ emerged as the winner and was awarded a prestigious trophy, being crowned the Reading Champions for 2023. All contestants in both the cluster-level competitions and finals competition received certificates of participation, while all four (4) schools featured in the Annual Reading Festival received citations, and the efforts of the patrons were also duly acknowledged.
In her closing remarks, Victoria Ampiah expressed gratitude to all contestants for their impressive performances, commending the patrons for their diligent preparation of students, and also acknowledged the unwavering support from the District Education Directorates.
Plans are underway for the 2024 edition of the cluster-level competitions and Annual Reading Festival 2024. Pictures from the event can be found here.
