The Teacher Amoako Foundation, a non-profit organisation, has held its first annual literacy competition at the Sefwi Wiawso Senior High School in the Western North Region, bringing together seven senior high schools to promote reading and literacy.
The event, organised in partnership with the Network for Western North Development, seeks to nurture a strong reading culture among students in the region and contribute to improving educational outcomes across Ghana.
After a keenly contested competition, Awaso STEM Senior High School emerged the overall winner of the 2025 Western North Reading Festival with 54 points. Queens Girls SHS followed closely in second place with 52.5 points, while Sefwi Bekwai SHS placed third with 52 points. Asawinso SHS, Sefwi Wiawso SHTS, St. Joseph SHS and Sefwi Wiawso SHS took the fourth to seventh positions respectively.
For their victory, Awaso STEM SHS received a cash prize of GH¢4,000. Queens Girls SHS earned GH¢2,000 as first runner-up, and Sefwi Bekwai SHS took home GH¢1,000 for placing third.
Organisers said the festival is designed to strengthen literacy skills, boost students’ confidence in reading and comprehension, and inspire a lifelong interest in learning. The programme attracted several dignitaries, including Mr. Bright Korankye Appau, Registrar of Enchi College of Education, and Mr. Michael Napor, Personal Assistant to Nana Tano Kaabah II, Chief of Enchi Kwawu. Nana Tano Kaabah II chaired the event and sponsored the top prize.
The Teacher Amoako Foundation, which is headquartered in Accra with a branch in Sefwi Wiawso, expressed appreciation to its sponsors and reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining the festival annually.
The initiative is the brainchild of 26-year-old Isaac Amoako, who said he was inspired after attempting a Guinness World Record for the longest marathon reading aloud at the National Children’s Library in March 2024. According to him, the experience highlighted the urgent need to support reading in the Western North Region, where many schools face limited access to books and library facilities.
Amoako, a trained teacher who has not yet been posted by the Ghana Education Service since graduating in 2021, holds a degree in Geography Education from the University of Education, Winneba, and is currently studying law at KAAF University.
He noted that funding was a major challenge for the maiden edition but said sponsorship for subsequent events is already improving.
He remains optimistic about the programme’s future. “We encourage all students to participate in the Reading Competition to develop a love for reading and improve their literacy skills,” he said.
Credit: rbnewshub.com
