EDITORIAL: Improve the Education System, Mr. Minister

LIBERIA, THE OLDEST  independent country in Africa was over the past  time seen as a beacon of hope and an oasis for  learning.  This trend continued for some time until  the 1980 coup which overthrew  president William R. Tolbert from power.

FROM THERE,  many people saw a gradual decline in the education system.

REALIZING THIS DECLINE, former president  Samuel K . Doe encouraged  the return of American Peace Corps, Japanese Teachers as well as other teachers from some African countries. This was intended to help buttress the teaching staff in Liberia.

WE ARE NOT saying here we support the coming in of foreign teachers to help. We prefer empowering our teachers to be up  standard  like those foreign teachers and professors.

IT  BECAME BAD when  over 25,000 students seeking admission into the University of Liberia who took the  test failed. This  led to  former president, madam  Ellen Johnson Sirleaf describing   the system as a mess. However, she tried to repair it. But it looked like  that did not meet  her expectation.

LOOKING AT THE system today, Liberia is still behind. For example,  Poor learning environment, overage enrollment, unskilled and unqualified teachers, poor infrastructure among others are some of the factors impeding the system.

WITH THESE  degrading trends, one would expect that this current minister of Education, Prof. Ansu Sonii will  do all in his power to improve the system.

BUT IT IS  surprising to  know that  this  is not the case. Just right in Montserrado county, many school learning conditions are bad. This was evident when president George  Weah paid an unannounced  visit to some  schools in Montserrado county.

THE PRESIDENT  was shocked and  later instructed the minister to improve the system. If Montserrado county, which is close to the seat of power is going through this, what much more about those in the remote parts of the country?

WE THINK THIS Minister is not doing anything enough to improve the system. What he is now doing is to be calling on various radio  stations to give update. Not by calling on radio stations every week to give update will improve the system.

PUTTING THE  right system in place, the quality of teachers in those schools among others. Let others praise  your work.

MINISTER, leave the phone calls and start to go into the interior to do field visitation, evaluate the  teachers, see the learning environment and look at what  the teachers are teaching.

WE ARE AFRAID  that if nothing is  done at this time, this country will continue to go backward and you will be one of the persons responsible for  increasing  the mess.

REMEMBER THE  future of this country  depends on quality education that will be provided. Government  may invest money into the system, but  if the right thing is not  done at times, Your  investment will  turn out  to increase the bank account of others.

MINISTER , TO be honest, you are not working up to the task to improve the system.   Remember whatever you do today will remain history; which   you will be judged by tomorrow.

SO, LET LIBERIA  wake up for the light to shine. Education is very important   for the development of every country and acceleration of growth.

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