The District Director of Education for Ajumako Enyan Essiam, Madam Sabina Aba Wilson, has reaffirmed her commitment to ensuring that every child in the district acquires strong reading and writing skills, describing literacy as the foundation of quality education and a key driver of national development.
Speaking at the 2026 Ajumako Enyan Essiam District Reading Festival and Senior High School Debate Competition, Madam Wilson said improving literacy remains one of the Directorate’s highest priorities as it works to enhance learning outcomes across schools in the district.
The event, held under the theme “Read Today, Lead Tomorrow,” brought together students, teachers, heads of schools, education officials, parents, traditional authorities and other stakeholders to celebrate reading excellence and promote a stronger reading culture among learners.
Addressing participants, Madam Wilson stressed that children who develop strong reading habits are more likely to excel academically, think critically, communicate effectively and become responsible citizens capable of contributing meaningfully to national development.
She noted that the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District Education Directorate has intensified interventions aimed at strengthening reading and comprehension skills among pupils in both public and private schools.
According to her, the Directorate is implementing various literacy programmes to improve reading proficiency, which she described as essential to raising educational standards across the district.
She urged teachers to go beyond classroom instruction by creating regular opportunities for pupils to read independently, improve their comprehension abilities and confidently express themselves both orally and in writing.
Madam Wilson further emphasised that reading should not be treated as the responsibility of language teachers alone but should be integrated into the teaching of all subjects, including Mathematics, Science and Social Studies, to improve learners’ overall academic performance.
She also appealed to parents and guardians to become active partners in their children’s education by providing textbooks and other learning materials, supervising homework, encouraging daily reading habits and creating supportive learning environments at home.
Despite the progress being made, the District Director highlighted a number of challenges affecting education delivery in the district, particularly inadequate funding for educational programmes.
She explained that limited financial resources continue to hamper the organisation of reading festivals, debate competitions, quizzes, cultural festivals, science and mathematics programmes, sporting activities and other co-curricular events that help develop learners’ talents, creativity and confidence.
Madam Wilson also disclosed that several schools in the district are grappling with teacher shortages, resulting in increased workloads for existing staff and affecting effective teaching and learning.
She therefore appealed to the Government, through the Ghana Education Service, to deploy more qualified teachers to the district to improve the teacher-to-pupil ratio and ensure that every child has access to quality education.
The Education Director further called on the Member of Parliament for Ajumako Enyan Essiam and Minister for Finance, Dr. Cassiel Ato Forson, the District Assembly, corporate organisations, non-governmental organisations, development partners, philanthropists and other well-meaning individuals to support schools with financial assistance, books, teaching and learning materials, ICT equipment, classroom furniture and other essential logistics.
She assured stakeholders that the Directorate would continue collaborating with teachers, parents, Parent-Teacher Associations, School Management Committees and development partners to improve literacy and educational outcomes across the district.
Delivering a goodwill message, the Principal of the University of Education, Winneba, Ajumako Campus, Madam Rebecca Akpanglo-Nartey, encouraged students to remain committed to their studies and make the most of educational opportunities available to them.
She advised learners to avoid negative peer influence, remain disciplined, respect their teachers and parents, and cultivate a consistent reading culture, stressing that discipline, determination and hard work remain the surest path to academic excellence and future success.
The Central Regional Director of Guidance and Counselling, Madam Alberta Arthur, also urged teachers to remain dedicated to nurturing confident readers, effective writers and critical thinkers.
She encouraged pupils to take their studies seriously, remain disciplined and develop a lifelong passion for reading, describing education as the key to unlocking their future potential.
Madam Arthur further appealed to parents to provide both educational materials and emotional support to help children succeed academically, while calling on traditional leaders across the Central Region to continue supporting schools by mobilising resources, encouraging regular school attendance and partnering with educational authorities to improve teaching and learning.
The festival featured reading competitions for pupils from various basic schools as well as debate contests involving Junior High School and Senior High School students, showcasing their reading abilities, analytical thinking, public speaking and communication skills.
At the end of the competitions, GESDI Basic School emerged winners of the Basic One Reading Competition, while Girls Model Basic School won the Basic Two category. Kwesi Asabre Methodist Basic School was crowned champions of the Basic Three Reading Competition.
GESDI also emerged winners of the Junior High School Debate Competition after an impressive performance.
In the Senior High School category, Enyan Denkyira Senior High School emerged overall champions, earning applause from participants and dignitaries for their outstanding display of knowledge, confidence and debating skills.
The Reading Festival and Debate Competition formed part of the Ghana Education Service’s broader efforts to promote literacy, critical thinking, effective communication and healthy academic competition while strengthening collaboration among schools, parents and stakeholders to improve educational standards in the Ajumako Enyan Essiam District.
The programme concluded with a renewed commitment from education stakeholders to work collectively towards ensuring that every child in the district develops the literacy skills needed to succeed academically and contribute meaningfully to national development.
Story by Yaw Boagyan
