Reading is said to be the process of looking at a series of written symbols and getting meaning from them. When we read, we use our eyes to receive written symbols (letters, punctuation marks and spaces) and we use our brain to convert them into words, sentences and paragraphs that communicate something to us.
Reading forms the integral part of learning.
Literacy is a fundamental human right. If our children cannot read, it means something is wrong with our education system. The foundation we give our children when it comes to literacy skills needs more than what we are doing.
We have to be committed as parents, first of all to the literacy needs of our children by providing the best and necessary environment for our wards to acquire the skills.
The child’s mind needs to be processed, ready for literacy skills right from the womb. So, research has shown that all expectant parents should make time to read to the foetus from the sixth month till birth and till the child is ready to be enrolled into the formal education system.
Some kids whose parents followed this religiously, begin to read even before the start schooling.
Parents have the biggest role to play in the literacy skills of their wards. Some parents think the teacher is supposed to make their wards acquire the necessary literacy skills in formal education setting. It could happen so but your role as a parent pushes your child a step ahead.
Examination failures today has to do with the culture of reading we have ignored over the years. If literacy skills were a priority of governments instead of just wanting to see all pupils in school without books, we would not be where we are today where students, instead of reading for examination, will prefer to indulge in all manner of examination mal-malpractices (“apor”).
Wednesday, 3rd of February marks WORLD READ ALOUD DAY.
Read to your children. Read to your unborn child.
Read aloud to somebody and let them know that reading is similar to drinking water.
By EDEM Kusorgbor (FODEKA) member, Quantum Ideas Ghana
Author: 0245857983
