The Municipality without a Functioning Library

“A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one”-George R.R Martin. Reading forms an integral part of the development of a student and students therefore need to read constantly to add to their knowledge.

With the outbreak of Covid-19 in Ghana and the subsequent closure of schools, students have had to undertake their personal studies at home. Unlike students from other districts who have access to functional libraries, students in the Jirapa Municipality have no such facility where they can walk in to study and do their research.

The only library that used to serve students in the Municipality has been closed and allowed to rot. My follow ups have not actually revealed any concrete reason why the facility is still locked even at this critical moment that students have been home and no attempts have been made to get the library working.

I chanced upon a final year JHS student sitting on the veranda of the library on the 9^th of September, 2020. According to her “I came hoping the library would open so that I can have some quiet place to do some revision but I have been sitting here for over four hours and I am not seeing any sign of anyone coming to open the library”.

This is the plight of many students in the Jirapa Municipality in this Covid era. One may argue that in this modern era , a physical library is not needed before one can do research but taking into consideration the economic condition of many parents in the Municipality, how many parents are able to buy smart phones or laptops for their children to access online classes and do research as well? Outmoded as this may look, the physical library is still very relevant to serve the needs of vulnerable students.

Authorities in the Municipality, therefore, need to do urgent renovation of the library and stock it with modern books. This will enable students have a conducive place to do their personal studies outside the classroom.

by

Pius Doozie