BONG SMILES

By Patrick Stephen Tokpah

Gbarnga, Bong  County- It was all smiles over the weekend in Gbarnga, the commercial city of Bong County when the Minster of State, Nathaniel McGill  launched a scholarship drive for school going kids in that county.

This gesture is intended to alleviate the financial burden from struggling parents of Bong County.  The CDC-led  Government of Liberia  launched  $LD 30M scholarship for seven  to 12 grade students in Gbarnga, Bong County.The fund drive as launched by the Minister of State, Mr. Nathaniel McGill, who represented president George Weah at  the David Kuyon Sports Stadium in Gbarnga. He said the program was necessary to help parents, many of whom do not have the financial means to  support their students.

He made an initial  contribution of $LD10m.

According to him, they’re working with the Vice President as well as local leaders and the legislative Caucus of the County to rigorously and transparently put in place  a measure that will ensure that all of the students benefit from the scholarship.

“Due to the economic conditions in which the parents go through daily and owing to the fact of President Dr. George M. Weah been the President that has love for education, we have decided to help grade school students in Bong County ,” Minister McGill added.

The Liberian Minister of State for Presidential Affairs is of the strongest conviction that the initiative will go across in Liberia.

The students tuition aid,  because of its importance saw both local and  national Leaders including citizens of the County in attendance and in happy mood.

Giving the overview of the Bong County CDC Scholarship program on April 3, 2021, Electoral District number three Representative J. Marvin Cole said the LD30M Liberian Dollars students tuition aid program will affect students from 7th to 12th grade across the County.

He revealed that the tuition aid is held under the nomenclature ‘CDC Bong County Students Tuition Aid Program’.

Additionally, speaking at the overcrowded David Kuyon Sports Stadium in Gbarnga, Bong  County was Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor who described education as her heart beat as such she pledged $LD 5M to the process.

She encouraged the students to take advantage of the initiative and remain in school, noting that when they are educated,  they can help become better future leaders and contribute to rebuilding process of the Country.

The Liberian first female Vice President thanked President Dr. George Weah for leading said process nationwide, at the same time emphasized that education has always been her priority dating back as a Senator of Bong County.

“Whenever you educate a person, you open his or her eyes, makes them wise and self sufficient,” she revealed.

Also, speaking at the program was a former talk show host of Radio Gbarnga and now talk show host of OK  FM in Monrovia, journalist  Clarence Jackson  who pledged fifteenth thousand Liberian Dollars as his only way of  contributing to the initiative in the County.

At the end of the  program, over ninety  million Liberian Dollars was raised instead of the targeted $LD 30m in the County.

At the end of the program, the happy beneficiaries, students and parents danced as a sing of appreciation for a great relief to them in the County.

The move according to the happy beneficiaries mainly the students and parents, it is timely, especially in the wake of the current economic challenges facing the nation and its people.

They at the  same time lauded the CDC government through President Dr. George M. Weah for improving their children lives through education.

The Bong County CDC scholarship students’ parents revealed that since the CDC government took over the leadership of Liberia, the narrative of education and infrastructure development has changed, evidenced by the free tuition for all public Universities and Colleges and the construction of housing units in the Country.

“What we’re seeing today in our County for a sitting government to provide money for school going kids tuition to be paid, we have not seen it in our Country history since 1847,” parents  said.

 

 

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