Executive Director GLA: “I find the lack of textbooks uncomfortable.”
A few years following the implementation of the new academic curriculum, Hayford Siaw, executive director of the Ghana Library Authority (GLA), has raised concern over the lack of textbooks for Ghanaian students in the basic school.
“Like every Ghanaian, I find it a little unsettling that students in Ghana are unable to access textbooks. Hayford Siaw said, “Hopefully, whatever has to be done or whatever procedures that are being implemented to ensure that these kids have access to the books are ensured.
He emphasized that the culture of reading would have been established if the systemic problems are addressed, the colleges of education where teachers are being trained are equipped with proper library systems, and also have a proper library-integrated management system to support schools in inter-borrowing of learning resources.
“For me personally, addressing the systemic flaws has been a top priority for my team and I. We must be able to enhance and establish a proper school library system in order to address the systemic challenges. We should never construct a school in this nation without also including a library. He stated on the 3FM Sunrise Morning Show that professional librarians should always be in charge of the school libraries.
The Bono Regional Library in Sunyani, whose construction began in 2003, hasn’t been finished, according to Hayford Siaw, Executive Director of the Ghana Library Authority (GLA), since the contractor wasn’t qualified to receive the contract. GLA
He asserts that the Ghana Library Authority did not start that specific initiative. The project is being overseen by AESL and was contracted out by the previous Bono Ahafo Regional Coordinating Council.
He noted that contractors have been quite disappointing throughout the years, and that just two months ago, AESL sent a last warning letter to the contractor since he hasn’t visited the site since receiving his last payment, which was roughly three years ago.
“For some reason, I believe that these were not reliable contractors who ought to have been chosen for the task. You should not be waiting for a certificate if you are a contractor and have the resources to complete the work. You ought to have access to pre-financing. You will have a problem if you have such a contractor handling such a project because over time you raise the certificate and then go back to sleep, and it takes time for you to pay, the executive director remarked on the 3FM Morning Sunrise Morning Show. GLA
In addition to creating the digital library app, which is zero-rated so that individuals can access books to read online even if they don’t have data, the Ghana Library Authority has set a goal to have 540 public libraries in all of Ghana by the year 2030.
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