Kumasi June 03, GNA - This year's International Children's Books day has been marked in Kumasi with a call on parents to donate books to their children on special occasions. This will help children to value books and develop interest in reading. Mr Hans Andersen, Officer-In-Charge (OIC) of the Manhyia Sub-Metro of the Ghana Education Service, said books are important tools not only for academic achievement but also broaden the horizon of children. The International Children's Books day has been set aside worldwide to promote children's books and reading habits among them. This year's celebration is under the theme "A book is waiting for you, find it".

Mr Andersen urged the youth to strive to seek knowledge and educate their minds to make them resourceful in their day-to-day activities. Mrs Rebecca Akita, Ashanti Regional Librarian, said the event was sponsored by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBYP), a non-profit organization. She appealed to individuals, organizations and associations to help them with new books since most of their stocks were old and worn out. She also appealed to teachers and parents to co-operate with them to ensure that books borrowed by their children are returned promptly. In an inter-school quiz competition to commemorate the day, Prempeh College M/A Basic scored 74 points to carry the day, followed by Garrison Basic which had 57 points while Forces Basic and Bantama Methodist Primary had 55 and 52 points respectively to place third and fourth positions. At the Junior High School (JHS) category, Army Basic was adjudged the overall best in an essay competition, while Prempeh College JHS and Forces JHS placed second and third respectively. The winners were presented with souvenirs and products from MTN and Coca Cola.