The Ghana Education Service (GES) in the Asutifi North district of the Ahafo region, in partnership with the Underground Mining Alliance (UMA) Subika, has organised a major reading festival competition to boost basic literacy standards among basic school students.

Held on Thursday, July 2, the event marked the fifth edition of the annual competition and the fourth year of UMA-Subika’s strategic sponsorship. UMA-Subika is a major service provider operating at the Newmont Ahafo South Mine.

The competitive literacy festival brought together the finest young minds from the district's eight circuits: Goamu A, Ntotroso A, Kenyasi No.1, Gambia No. 1, Kenyasi No.2, Ntotroso B, Kenyasi Mmooho, and Goamu B. The participants had all advanced to the finals after winning their respective zonal stages.

Pupils from Basic One, Basic Two, and Basic Three competed intensively in English and Twi language modules, which tested their reading comprehension, word formation, and spelling abilities.

At the conclusion of the event, the Kenyasi Mmooho circuit emerged as the absolute champion, dominating all lower primary levels. The winning circuit swept the awards table, securing educational materials and specialized tablets designed to facilitate digital learning and research in their schools.

The collaborative effort between the GES and UMA-Subika comes at a critical time for global education development. Data from the World Bank’s State of Learning Poverty framework indicates that nearly 70% of children in low- and middle-income countries are unable to read and understand a simple, age-appropriate text by age 10.

International educational research consistently demonstrates that early-grade literacy driven by targeted interventions like spelling bees, word formation games, and dual-language reading is the single greatest predictor of long-term academic retention.

Without these foundational skills, young learners face a compounding academic deficit that often leads to higher dropout rates.

The reading festival highlights a progressive shift in how extractive sector partners approach Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Rather than focusing solely on short-term infrastructure, UMA-Subika is prioritizing sustainable community development by investing directly in host-community children.

Bertha Yeboah, the Human Resource Supervisor and CSR Team Lead of UMA-Subika, noted that the company firmly believes in the transformative power of education.

"The reading festival competition provides a platform to escalate our priority. It also provides an opportunity to share the joy with the young learners who are potential future leaders of the district and the country as a whole”.

Bertha Yeboah stated that while district literacy metrics were low prior to the partnership, performance standards appreciated rapidly after UMA stepped in.

The CSR Team Lead highlighted that previous participants from the district have gone on to win regional and national recognitions, proving the value of the investment.

She urged this year's winners to avoid complacency and maintain their focus as they prepare for the Ahafo regional competition scheduled for next week Thursday.

The educational partnership directly aligns with the United Nations for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2030 Agenda 4 (Quality Education): Advancing foundational literacy and ensuring equitable, quality primary education outcomes for early-grade learners.

It also advances SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): Equipping host-community children with the reading and digital research capabilities required to participate in the future high-skill economy and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals): Serving as a prime local model of a successful public-private partnership

Expressing profound appreciation to the sponsors, the Asutifi North District Director of Education, Naomi Asantewaa, noted that the partnership has radically improved teaching and learning outcomes across the district.

Director Asantewaa indicated that the sustained support from UMA-Subika has highly motivated local teachers to give their best in shaping the pupils, injecting a vibrant spirit of academic excellence into schools across the entire enclave.