By C.W. Kennedy, Sr. in Kakata, Liberia
The Principal of the Kakata Community College in Margibi County is commending President George Manneh Weah for paying the West African Senior Secondary Examination Certificate (WASSE) fees for all Senior Students across the Country.
Over 33,000 high school seniors benefitted from the payment of the WASSE exams fees across Liberia last April.
Mr. Anthony Mulbah Jallah in an interview with newsmen his KCC office in Kakata on the New 14th Road community on Tuesday said if not for President Weah’s own timely intervention, 25 students would not have even sat the just ended national exams.
He maintained that his Institution will forever remain appreciative for the academic gesture rendered to the students of Margibi County yea Liberia.
Mr. Jallah said the KCC Family remains grateful to Ambassador Weah for being so far sighted as the people’s choice of leader. He noted that the KCC AM and PM sections of 125 students sat the WASSEC exams.
The KCC’s Principal at the same time praised the Ministry of Education, the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) as well as other partners and plotters for the peaceful manner in which the exams were administered across Liberia even though there were some challenges.
He argued that from the earlier stage there were some problems, not only at the Kakata Community College, but other Institutions as well but those problems were settled. Principal Jallah intoned that before the commencement of the Exams, schools’ administrators and teachers told authorities that the students were not ready due to the unavailability of the needed textbooks and materials to better prepare them for the exams.
The KCC Boss named further named the lack of Libraries and Laboratories with needed equipment as some of the challenges facing schools.
The Liberian educator is suggesting that GOL creates a decentralized libraries and laboratories geographically to the better the learning environment. He agreed it’s impossible for government to have said facility in every town/village. But at least every County can have its own.
According to him, GOL needs to see reason to drop, or totally reduced the tariff placed on the importation of educational materials and stationeries. He said the more government increases tariff on these items the more the prices will increase on the market.
He maintained that textbooks are expensive, because most of the books used are been imported from Sierra Leone, Ghana, England and the USA costing US$30, US$40 or even US$50 per book.
The tough talking Principal said he hopes modalities will be put in place by the CDC Pro-Poor Government to use this year’s WASSEC as a pilot project and be able to make comprehensive report to the Liberian people and to carefully observe the weaknesses and strength of senior students in the Country which will enable the government to make better adjustment.
He’s at the same time recommending to the Government of Liberia to work harder to responsibly provide quality education as promised by President Weah stressing that every Liberian should be treated equally irrespective of their backgrounds.
The Private School Administrator narrated that the Government of Liberia has the biggest responsibility to cater to the needs of its citizens.
Principal Jallah is at the same time calling on government to provide subsidies to all private and public schools in Liberia noting that for the past 20 years GOL has assisted only public schools while leaving out private schools.
Mr. Jallah frowned on past Liberian Governments and said they have been ungrateful to private schools’ teachers who are also Liberians. He called on the current Government to put in more funds and interest into the educational sector to put students on path with other Countries.
The KCC is a community owned, and community based Institution operated by a Team of professional Liberians.
“KCC is a non-denominational entity, where strict discipline is given to all who attend to make them a better and prepared citizens to take their places in life to work hard as future leaders of Liberia,” the Kakata Community College Principal added.