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She said it also widens the child’s vocabulary and comprehension ability.

"Through reading, children develop their empathy, build confidence, and expand their imagination".

She, therefore, urged parents to inculcate the joy of reading in their children.

"Crucial for a child’s emotional development is the good relationship between a parent and a child. This can be built early on as a parent reads to a child", she explained.

She made the call at this year's World Literacy Day celebration held at Kpando under the theme "Transforming literacy learning space" on Thursday.

The programme was organised by Literacy Ambassadors Ghana, a literacy NGO, in collaboration with Volta Development Forum (VDF), Sanitation And Literacy Ghana (SALG); Stefania Forte Education Foundation, Ghana Library Authority, Kpando District, Office of the Kpando MP among others.

Collaborative effort needed

For his part, the Chief Executive Officer of Literacy Ambassadors Ghana (LAG), Mr. Mathias Tulasi, called for a collaborative effort in order to reduce illiteracy among Ghanaians and thereby achieve basic literacy for all.

He said there is a misconception that schools are responsible for literacy and that is why any literacy challenge of a child is attributed to the inefficiency of the teacher or the school system.

“But the fact remains that a broad range of actors from parents, peers, religious leaders, library services and health services shape literacy development of children”.

“Parents are the number one educators of their children and as such their attitude and literacy practices have a significant influence on children’s literacy development throughout the school”, he stressed.

He added, “Many parents cannot read and write, so it becomes challenging for these parents to help their children in their academics, especially on issues of reading which is the key to learning”.

World Literacy Day

September 8 was declared International Literacy Day by UNESCO on October 26, 1966, at the 14th session of UNESCO’s General Conference.

It was celebrated for the first time in 1967 and recognizes literacy as a human right as well as a cornerstone for development.

The day is always an opportunity for governments, civil society organizations, and other major stakeholders to highlight improvements in world literacy rates, and reflect on the world’s remaining literacy challenges