A Librarian at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Dr Theresa Adu, has called for the need to strengthen the literacy and numeracy skills of children in their formative years.

She said early literacy and numeracy skills were critical for early school success and that there was growing evidence that both early literacy and numeracy skills were strong predictors of children's long-term achievement.

Dr Adu, addressing a graduation ceremony of UHAS Basic School, also called for creating a reading culture among children in the basic schools, saying, reading culture was vital for academic success.

She said nurturing an environment for reading to thrive would help the country to unlock boundless opportunities for students, setting them on the path to academic excellence.

Dr Adu stressed that a robust reading culture not only cultivates imagination, creativity and critical thinking but also lays the foundation for enhanced vocabulary, communication, and comprehension abilities.

The Librarian advised parents to dedicate time to reading with their children and to create a reward system at home to motivate and promote reading among their children.

Dr Adu said it was good to allow children to flow with the changing digital technologies, however, parents need to limit screen time for them.

“We must strive to create the right balances to ensure that we have well-baked young people from basic education right through to adulthood.”

Madam Yaa Amankwah Opuni, Registrar of UHAS said the school had made great strides over the past three years and has commended the head of the school and the instructors for their commitment and dedication.

The Registrar asked the pupils to focus on their studies and to continue to work hard so they would become responsible citizens, saying, the future holds endless possibilities for them.

The programme was on the theme: “Basic Education a Tool for National Development.”