The United States, in collaboration with the Ghana Ministry of Education, has initiated the distribution of over four million books to schools across every district in Ghana. Ambassador Robert P. Jackson represented the U.S. government at the launch event.
Ambassador Jackson emphasized the transformative potential of these books, stating that they "will open minds, expand horizons, and introduce millions of primary school children across Ghana to new worlds and opportunities." He highlighted a 2013 test revealing that most Ghanaian primary students struggled with reading fluency but noted improvements due to a strong partnership between the U.S. government and the Ghana Ministry of Education.
Last year, USAID and the Ministry launched the Partnership for Education: Learning initiative. This program addresses various factors affecting children's reading abilities, such as teacher training and curriculum support. It aims to train over 50,000 teachers and enhance reading skills for more than 2.8 million pupils within five years.
The ambassador shared progress made through this partnership, including providing over 450,000 books to upper primary students and training more than 18,000 teachers. The partners also collaborated on drafting the Education Decentralization Bill and organized reading festivals across all ten regions of Ghana.
Jackson recounted meeting Afua Ansah, a young champion from Ghana who recently competed in Washington D.C.'s Scripps Spelling Bee finals. He expressed pride in her achievements and inspiration for children nationwide to improve their reading skills.
The distributed books are available in ten Ghanaian languages as well as English and were selected by the Ghana Education Service to enhance literacy while inspiring imagination among young readers.
Reflecting on his own experiences with literature's impact, Jackson shared how a book inspired him toward diplomacy: "Standing here today, I could not be more grateful to this book and all the other books that spurred me to achieve my dreams."
In conclusion, he expressed hope that these books would ignite a passion for learning among Ghana's youth: "Now...pupils will be able to immerse themselves in stories in their native languages."
Ambassador Jackson thanked attendees for supporting this educational endeavor alongside special recognition given towards steadfast efforts from partners like those found within ministries such as education throughout Africa’s western region where initiatives continue aiming at increasing literacy rates globally too!