Feature Article : "The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of Modernghana.com."

Books are the most essential tool for transfer of learning. Though books inspire and entertain, the development of the reader's personality is the most primary purpose of education which contributes profoundly to the development of any nation.

Though radio, TV, video, the Internet, and audio-visual aids play their supporting role in communication and education, they are only supplement to, but not substitutes for books, because the book is central and transmits information of higher order of complication with more penetration than any audio-visual aid.

The book is, therefore, unique in enhancing education, the bedrock of any nation's development; so it is important to stimulate and motivate the public, especially our young people, to develop an interest in reading for Ghana to become a winning nation.

Book industry

The book industry occupies a pivotal position in the implementation of the new educational reform programme, which is at its embryonic stage as it took off last year.

The impact of books on the success of this programme is too obvious to be over-stressed.

This is why the book industry must be given the due attention it deserves to thrive and develop rapidly for books to be available to all schools.

The laudable new educational reform programme needs not fail. It must succeed more than all other educational reforms of the past.

Whatever good strategy is adopted for implementing the new educational reform programme, adequate provision of infrastructural facilities and services for schools, upgrading of senior high schools, the improvement in the quality of teaching and learning, efficient management reforms in schools and improvement of teacher morale and motivation without adequate access to books will not meet the goal of the programme.

The Seventh Ghana International Book Fair held at the National Theatre in Accra recently came at a good time to showcase books that would be needed to meet the goal of the new reforms envisaged.

The theme of the fair “Enhancing Education through Publishing” is just right in line with what the Government is doing to raise the low educational standards in the nation.

The fair, which had 43 Ghanaian and 21 foreign exhibitors, was successful, being mostly patronised by students and schoolchildren. It is hoped that all people who purchased books will read them.

Besides, today, the Non-Formal Education Division (NFED) functional literacy programme introduced two decades ago is a partner in the crusade for the prevention of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other epidemics in Ghana. These functional literates need books to read proficiently.

One cannot talk about the enhancing of education without the mention of the unique role of book publishing in developing the reading culture of our nation. Moreover, there is no nation under the sun that can develop its reading capability without a good library system.

Again, a good library facility stimulates the book industry. Libraries are therefore the backbone of the publishing industry.

Above all, we live in an age of information explosion and since our heads cannot store all the information we require, libraries act as storehouses from which references could be made in addition to providing us with recreation.

Paradoxically, the Ghana Library Board lacks adequate funds to purchase new books to add to and replace the old collections which are no longer relevant to our social, cultural, technological and scientific needs today.

It is strongly suggested that the Ghana Library Board and other libraries will begin to buy books in large quantities to stock their empty shelves by soliciting funds from NGOs, the World Bank, UNESCO, IBBY, UNICEF and other international organisations.

Also the government can make it a policy to purchase a quantity of all books published for stocking the public libraries.

Reading is the gateway to education, hence our children, as well as adults, should be encouraged and motivated to read books. Continued    Source: DAILY GRAPHIC - Daily Graphic

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