A Lecturer advocates for reading and writing camps for children

Mr Abudulai Jakalia, Senior Lecturer in English, University of Education, Winneba has appealed to teachers and opinion leaders to organize reading and writing camps for children in their communities to promote literacy.

He noted that most children drop out from school especially in rural communities because they did not have the crucial literacy for learning.

"Appropriate literacy, good health and environment and proper attitude are the most crucial factors to retain children in school and eventual success in education," he said.

Mr Jakalia made the appeal at a meeting with members of Wa Municipal Assembly and stakeholders in education within the Municipality at Wa.

He presented a paper "Participatory Action Research" a project he developed for children to improve children's literacy and build their confidence to remain in school.

Mr Jakalia said the Municipality had the potential for high school retention because it had relatively better infrastructure, more capacity and facilities than other assemblies in the Upper West Region.

He urged educational authorities to revisit story-telling sessions, local games, poetry recitals and modernize them for children to cultivate to improve literacy.

Mr Jakalia appealed to parents to incorporate literacy activities like "reading time" and "writing time" in their children from the nuclear family through extended families to small community activities.