By Mark N. Mengonfia
At age 76, Oldman David Brown has enrolled in the Alfalit Adult Literacy School in the Monrovia suburb of Paynesville.
Mr. Brown, a heavy duty operator, has been speaking of how education adds values to lives and has encouraged Liberian children and to take their education seriously.
“I am a heavy duty operator and I know my job very well. I operate all kinds of yellow machines,” the 76-year-old man said in an interview with this Reporter at the weekend,.
Old man Brown attends the Alfalit audit literacy school located in the Kissi Camp Community on the GSA Road in Paynesville, outside Monrovia.
He explained that he worked with the Liberia Mining Company (LIMINCO) for 22 years and he never got any elevation in his employment status, because he was not educated, although he knew his job heavy duty operator job very well.
“Because I did not know how to read and write, the company took a small boy (9th grade student) who I could born and they set him over me to be my boss,” the 86-year-old student said.
Oldman Brown said due to his lack of education when he was then at LIMINCO, his former boss, who had only a 9th grade education, took lots of advantage over him and even cheated him, because he was illiterate and could not even write his name even if it was written as big as anything.
“I could not do anything. Those things hurt me so badly to the point that I said to myself, before I die, I must know book” (become educated),” the 76-year-old literacy program student said.
Commenting on how he came in contact with the Alfalit audit literacy school,Oldman Brown recalled that in 2007, he was crushing rock in Monrovia, when one of the Alfalit teachers came at their rock field and asked, “who here wants to school to learn how to read and write”.
According to him, he put my hands up, and asked the man whether at his age then 65 they could allow him in the program? ”He said yes, and that I was the kind of people they were looking for”.
He said from 2007 he joined the audit literacy Alfalit program indicating that many of those with whom he and they started program together have all dropped and he is still persistently with the program.
“As long I still have life and Alfalit doesn’t close, I will not stop maybe until I die,” Liberia’s 76-year-old student said.
My children used to say I was less busy that was why I said I was going to school; even my daughter in the US said the same, but I told them that before I die, I must learn how to read and write. I was born with book (I was never educated from my youths) but I will die with book (education)”.
According to him, right now he has the ability to read sign boards for himself and knows what it means to go right and to go left. “When I am traveling in cars going to places, I can read the signs and streets names and I know where to stop without asking people to help me”.
Additionally, the 76-year-old student said that the greatest thing he can also do because of Alfalit, is when his daughter sends him money from America he can now go to the bank, fill in his own bank slip and sign for his money, using pen and no longer my tomb print.
“But at first, before I joined Alfalit, whenever I went to receive money, I would ask someone to fill up my slip where I would give those US$5.00. But right now, I can do all by myself; no one can eat my money,” Oldman man David Brown said.
He used the interview to rally other illiterate Liberian men to join him,
“it’s good to read and write”. It’s not good to remain green always, please join me so your eyes can open small”.
This 76-year-old student ended by saying: “When one knows how to read and write they are in the light but if you don’t know book (illiterate) you are in darkness. “If God gives me long life, I want Alfalit to even help me to college.”