The Ministry of Education, with support from the World Bank, has officially launched a US$47 million project aimed at renovating 156 schools and constructing three others throughout the country.
The project, “Improving Results in Secondary Education”, will also expand 35 junior high schools to secondary institutions in the rural parts of Liberia.
At the launching ceremony, held over the weekend in the Borough of New Kru Town, Bushrod Island, Education Minister, Dr. Ansu Sonii, stated that it is the dream of President George Weah to ensure that all Liberian children have access to affordable learning institutions.
Minister Sonii indicated that President Weah wants Liberia to be a literate society where it will never rely on foreign countries for pilots, medical doctors and people of all professions a few years from now.
“A child who receives good education, skills and integrity now, the results are not manifested until after 16 years when the child is in college or become a professional person 20 years later,” he said. “This president is interested in youth development, and he should be an inspiration for all of you,” Minister Sonni noted.
“The life story of this president is a lesson for you, and there is no point for giving up because not everyone will be at the same level in life.”
Meanwhile, Assistant Education Minister for Planning and Research, Dominic Kweme, said the project will provide scholarships to 300 graduates to attend school in Kenya, Zimbabwe and Botswana, purposely to be deployed in schools throughout Liberia.
Minister Kweme pointed out that the project will also provide scholarships for 3,000 girls in four counties with high rates of female high school dropouts.
For his part, the Representative of electoral district #16, Montserrado County, Dixon Seboe, appealed to the Ministry of Education to work along with him on his proposal to include technical education at the D-Tweh Memorial High School in the Borough of New Kru Town.
According to Representative Seboe, there are thousands of young people who cannot afford to go through the academic system but are prepared to be trained in skills for the job market.
He disclosed that he has already filed a bill at the plenary of the House of Representatives in order for the necessary allotment to be made in the national budget for the institution.
The Montserrado County lawmaker indicated that he plans hosting a community meeting purposely to encourage residents to take ownership of the project by ensuring that none of the materials is stolen.
He then appealed to the Ministry of Education to consider the fencing of the last portion of the campus of the institution in order to avoid intruders.
Also making remarks at the launching ceremony was the Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Willamette Piso Saydee-Tarr, who said there is no better way to give power back to the people than giving them education.
According to her, the launching of the project, which includes scholarships for 3,000 girls in difficult areas, is within the mandate of President Weah’s desire to ensure that girls are given the opportunity to develop themselves.
She thanked the Education Ministry and the World Bank for undertaking worthy project aimed at empowering the young people with knowledge for their future.
Also speaking, the Deputy Minister for Economic Management, Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Augustus Flomo, assured the Ministry of Education of the government’s continued support for the catering of the projects once they are completed.
He called on other well-established people to assist young people who are striving to prepare themselves academically to take up the challenges facing the nation in the future.
Minister Flomo, on behalf of Finance Minister, Samuel Tweah, thanked the Education Ministry and the World Bank for the project to improve the education sector.