Dekegai Vocational School, Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County, on Monday, November 6, 2023 graduated 3,300 students who have obtained technical training in several areas of specialization. The vocational school is solely sponsored by Alfred G. Koiwood, a former senatorial candidate in the October 10 general and presidential elections.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Dekegai Vocational School, Alice Kewelleh, said the school program started in Kakata, Margibi County, with 300 students. She disclosed that the school offers vocational skill training for young people in tie and dye, soap making, hair dressing, baking and catering.
The Monday ceremony was the 10th graduation exercise of the institution since it was founded in Margibi, according to Kewelleh.
CEO Kewelleh explained that, in 2022 the Representative Koiwood, after attending one of the school’s graduation exercises in Margibi, appealed to her to move the program to Gbarpolu County, in order to provide skill training for the young people living in that part of the country. She stated that the school then moved to Gbarpolu County, with Representative Koiwood serving as the key sponsor for all the programs. According to her, Koiwood’s sponsorship has taken the institution to another level, where over 3,000 students are graduating with skills in several areas. She applauded Koiwood for supporting the Dekegai Vocational School since it moved to Gbarpolu County.
Kewelleh is therefore calling on the government and interested organizations wishing to partner with the institution to do so in order to prepare the minds of the young people. She disclosed that the school lacks several things, including training materials, motorbikes, among others. She however disclosed a plan to extend the program in other counties if funding and support are available.
In remarks, Alfred Koiwood thanked the graduates for mustering the courage to complete the training exercise. The former Gbarpolu County lawmaker admonished the graduates not to keep the certificates as decoration in their respective homes; instead, they should use them to improve their living condition. He vowed to do more in sponsoring the institution if the willingness comes from the young people. He appreciated the CEO, Kewelleh, and the entire teaching staff for their tireless effort in preparing the graduates.
Delivering her keynote speech at the graduation ceremony, the Vice President of Liberia, Jewel Howard-Taylor, urged the graduates to utilize what they have acquired from the institution. “Put your certificate into use to improve your lives and make Gbarpolu proud,” VP Taylor cautioned the graduates.
VP Taylor cautioned Koiwood and the CEO of the school to transform the training center into a non-governmental organization (NGO) in order to expand the program across Liberia.
The Vice President pledged L$1 million, to be given after the election, for the transformation of the training center into a NGO. According to her, her office will closely work with Senator Edwin Melvin Snowe of Bomi County to secure the amount for the transformation of Dekegai Vocational School. She encouraged the graduates to use what they have acquired to put food on their families’ tables. “What Honorable Koiwood has given you in the school cannot be taken back, so make use of it,” she told the graduates.