The Acting Deputy Director-General of Ghana Education Service (GES), in charge of Quality and Assessment, Mrs Elizabeth De-Souza says more work needs to be done to improve the reading proficiency of pupils.

She hinted that a yet-to-be published report on the Early Grade Reading Assessment, which, among others, assessed the ability of Kindergarten and lower primary pupils on the sounds of letters and word reading in English and Ghanaian languages, did not paint a good picture.

She was speaking at the grand finale of the Agona East District pilot edition of a maiden reading and spelling competition organised by the Centre for Performance Monitoring and Evaluation (CePME), an education-focused non-governmental organisation (NGO) at Swedru in the Central Region on Thursday.

Mrs De-Souza emphasised the pivotal role reading play in the academic success of pupils and the need for a very good foundation to be built for them in the early grades.

She said the activities at the Kindergarten especially should not be limited to dancing, eating and sleeping.

She called on stakeholders to play their roles effectively to help change the status quo.

Mrs De-Souza commended CePME for its commitment and support towards the improvement of standards of education in the country.

Dr Kenneth Asamoah Gyimah, Training Officer of CePME, said the NGO, which focuses on the capacity building of teachers and pupils, introduced the competition as part of achievement test to boost the reading ability of pupils.

He said the NGO recognises the essence of reading and its impact on education, and would continue to support and create the opportunity for pupils across the country to attain higher heights in education.

At the end of the competition, pupils from the Nsaba Circuit beat their counterparts from Mankrong ‘A’, Dunkwa ‘B’, Asafo, Kwanyako, Mankrong ‘B’ and Dunkwa ‘A’ Circuits to win the ultimate prize package comprising GH?500.00, cartons of chalk, reading materials and a trophy.

Three pupils, two from the Nsaba Circuit, who put up the most outstanding performances, received cash prizes and reading and writing materials, while all contestants received reading and writing materials and a school bag and other packages.