Reading beyond examinations: five students at Kumasi Girls’ Senior High School discovering the world between the pages of a book.
By Isaac Nyarko Antwi
There is a sharp contrast between reading to achieve good grades in examinations and reading to transform your mind and become a lifelong learner. Indeed, we all know that reading solely for examinations often makes learning a temporary activity. More often than not, many students try their very best to memorise facts, reproduce them in the answer booklet, and sometimes forget them shortly after the results are released. However, reading for transformation goes far beyond grades and academic success.
I have seen students read in preparation for examinations. Reading just for examinations is not necessarily bad, but it becomes limiting when it is the only reason students read. Education should not end when the examination is over; reading should inspire lifelong learning.
But recently, I witnessed something that excited me for a different reason. Five of my students at Kumasi Girls’ Senior High School were standing in the school garden, books in hand, reading—not because an examination was approaching, not because a teacher had instructed them to do so, but simply because they had chosen to read. The picture raises an important question: Who is teaching our students to love books? We often complain that young people do not read enough. We blame social media, mobile phones, television and the internet.
As educators, we complain about the decline in reading habits and its impact on students’ academic writing. But perhaps we need to ask ourselves a more important question. As educators, have we done our best to admonish students to love reading, or have we just trained them to read because examinations require it? In a school garden, five students stood with books in their hands. There was no formal lesson taking place. No teacher stood in front of them. No examination was imminent. Yet, they were reading. For many students, reading is often associated with examinations. They read because a test is approaching. They read because a teacher has given them an assignment. They read because they must answer questions in an examination hall. But reading should be much more than an academic requirement.
A child who reads only to pass an examination may likely stop reading when the examination is over. However, a child who is always passionate about reading develops a lifelong habit that continues long after leaving school. Reading opens doors that physical classrooms cannot always reach. Through books, a child can travel to countries they may never visit, encounter cultures they have never experienced, and learn from people who lived centuries before they were born. A child may grow up in a community where certain opportunities appear distant or impossible. But through reading, that child can encounter new possibilities.
Reading should not be treated as something reserved only for the classroom. Teachers must also become reading ambassadors. A reading ambassador should model the habit of reading and help students discover the joy of books. They must also share their own reading experiences with learners. A student may not immediately fall in love with the first book they encounter. This is why we must expose young people to different types of books. Some may love fiction. Others may prefer biographies, history, science, poetry, religion, current affairs, or personal development. The goal is not to force every child to read the same book. The goal is to help every child discover a book that speaks to them. Schools have a major role to play in promoting the culture of reading. Schools should organise reading competitions and storytelling sessions to cultivate learners’ interest in reading.
Parents also have a crucial role to play by providing their wards with educational materials, including textbooks and reading materials. We must also recognise that access to productive learning materials remains a challenge for many children. Not every student has a home filled with books. Not every family can afford to purchase reading materials regularly. This is why the government, corporate organisations, charitable individuals and non-governmental organisations should support initiatives that make books more accessible. A donated book may appear to be a small gift, but its impact may last a lifetime.
The five students reading in the school garden remind us of something important: reading does not require a perfect environment. It can begin in a classroom, under a tree, in a school garden, at home, or in a library. What matters is that the opportunity exists. What matters is that children are encouraged. What matters is that we help them understand that books are not merely objects filled with words. They are doors to knowledge. If we want a generation capable of thinking deeply, communicating effectively, solving problems creatively, and understanding the experiences of others, we must raise readers. The responsibility is ours. We must move beyond asking students to read only because an examination requires it.
We must help them read because they are curious. Because they want to understand. Because they want to imagine. Because they want to grow. And sometimes, the beginning of that journey is simple. It is a child opening a book. It is five students standing in a school garden, reading. It is a generation discovering that the world is far bigger than the classroom—and that sometimes, the greatest journeys begin between the pages of a book. Let us raise children who do not read only to pass examinations. Let us raise children who read to understand the world, challenge the world, and ultimately change the world.
The writer, Isaac Nyarko Antwi, is a GES teacher.
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