Matilda Amissah Arthur Commissions 35th UN library for Association International School Labone

The Wife of the Vice President, Matilda Amissah Arthur, has charged school children to see reading of books as something serious that can open their minds, enrich their vocabulary, make them confident in society and help them speak well in society.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah Arthur made the call when she commissioned a project dubbed “Thank You Small Library (TYSL)”, which is the 35th school library to be constructed by the UN in public schools across the country in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism at the Association Community International school in Labone on May 1st 2015.

She stated that there’s no limit of what a book can do, so the need for them to explore dig into books by enriching themselves with vocabulary’s together with good values, honesty integrity, truthfulness which would take them to places, so the need for them see reading as very important because currently there’s is the rapid growth in information across the globe, which are affecting us all now than ever before, so the need to for the youth to read.

Mrs. Matilda Amissah Arthur also called on the headmistress of the school to ensure that the books are not locked up but allow the children to make the best use of it instead of decoration, so called on the Head mistress to make sure that the library is put into good use by the pupils.

The Second Lady a Professional Librarian and as someone who has the passion in helping the needy as well as for providing social services for deprived communities especially called on the school children to take the opportunity to use the Library effectively because reading is what has made her what she is today in society.

The Mrs Dho Young-Shim, Chairperson, Board of Directors, UN MDG Advocacy Group based in South Korea said the project dubbed “Thank You Small Library (TYSL)”, is the 35th school library to be constructed by the UN in public schools across the country in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism.

The TYSL formed part of the United Nations’ World Tourism Organization’s Sustainable Tourism Eliminating Poverty (STEP) programme, which are organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism in beneficiary countries.

Mrs Young-Shim, who is also the Director-General of Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in South Korea, said so far 123 small libraries had been constructed in Africa with Ghana having the highest share of 30.

She lauded the integral roles libraries played in the education and the total socio-economic development of countries.

“South Korea, which used to be a poor country and without natural resources invested much in the education of its citizenry hence the ability to move out of poverty,” she added.

Mrs Young-Shim expressed South Korean Government’s willingness to work with Ghana as it was the first country in Africa to establish diplomatic ties with her country.

Mrs Elizabeth Ofusu Adjare Minister of Tourism and creative Arts lauded the UN for the initiative as libraries were an important facility for learning, information sharing as well as for recreation and relaxation.

She pledged the Ministry’s commitment in ensuring that the project’s objectives and subsequent deliveries were in conformity with the UN’s Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which had targeted the reduction of extreme poverty by 2015.

“The TYSL model is based on the Korean experience of Development through Education. We in Ghana are prepared to learn from that experience for our Better Ghana Agenda”.

She said a library was indispensable to the intellectual growth of a community, especially children who were its foundation.

MRS.MATILDA AMISSAH-ARTHUR ADDRESSING THE TEACHERS PUPIL OF ASSOCIATION COMMUNITY SCHOOL LABONY