Liberia: Progressives Blamed for ‘Untold Suffering’

…Environmentalist Cautions Graduates Against Activism

An environmentalist is cautioning Liberian youth against activism because according to him, students or campus based activism initiated in the 1970s by a group of progressives including himself didn’t yield any positive results.

Jeff  Nyandibo, a Deputy Manager for Planning at the Environmental Protection Agency of Liberia said the history of call for change beginning from the progressives time of the 1979 April 14 to the eras of the 1980s and the 1990s brought along with it untold sufferings.

Speaking at the 3rd graduation of the Korto J.P. Vogar High School in Rehab-City View Community, Lower Johnsonville, Yanabe said he finds it completely needless to continue to encourage young and ambitious people to thread the path of the progressivism.

Mr. Nyandibo spoke on ‘Why is Education Important’, since he don’t want to encourage young people into threading the path of the progressive.

‘‘I chose this topic simply because I know it might not be the words you want to hear as many of us in Liberia are currently overwhelm by political English and actions. However, I am of the conviction that those of us who started student or campus based activism before come of you were born or when we were in schools with your fathers and mothers in the late 1970s and the 80s, did not achieved any positive results,’’ he said

Speaking further, Mr. Nyandibo told the audience comprising of parents and well-wishers that education makes individual develop personally, socially as well as economically.

He explained that it also helps people to do their daily life activities in the best possible ways and as well make them dutiful.

Mr. Nyandibo asked the graduates to seek higher education, noting that it is only through continuous learning that we can add to the vast knowledge of mankind.

‘‘If we stop learning, we narrow our space in the community of intellectualism, social strata, the job market and the global village,’’ he said.

He lauded parents whose children were graduating from the school for sponsoring their children’s education and said they still have greater role to play by providing encouragement and support if their children must achieve good education.

Mr. Nyandibo believes that parents are their children’s first teacher and should remain their best teacher throughout life.

Also speaking at the program, Korto J.P. Vogar High School Principal, Rev. Leona T. Tarr asked the graduates not to participate in what she termed as ‘wrong competition’.

She cautioned them against competing against other children who upon their graduation from high school will seek higher education at expensive schools, when they don’t have the mean to attend similar schools.

‘‘Some of these children’s parents suffer for years and have finally arrived. They suffered in time pass, so that their generation today can be successful,’’ Rev. Tarr told the graduates.

She asked them not to get angry with their parents for not being able to enroll them at expensive universities.

‘‘Remember their contributions in the time pass, and gave them chance to arrive also for they still love you,’’ the principal added.

Principal Tarr urged graduates whose parents are unable to send to university to take advantage of vocational institutions or start small business that will enable them to save money for college education.

‘‘Remember that the race is not to the swift but he who fights to the end. In all your ways acknowledge God and he will direct your path,’’ she encouraged the graduates.

During the ceremony, three graduating students, including Jeremiah Y. Kollie, Uriah S. Kollie and Isaac K. Dolo were honored and certificated for their outstanding performances during the school year.

Dean of Student, Emmanuel D. Fiske disclosed that Korto J.P. Vogar High School is running tuition-free program for kindergarten and pre-grade levels and encouraged parents in the community to enroll their children at the school.