By Emmanuel Mafelah, mafelahemmanuel29@gmail.com
GBARNGA, Liberia- The Liberian government of Liberia through the Minister of State for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel F. McGill and the office of Bong County electoral district#3 have launched a LD$30m scholarship scene in Gbarnga, Bong County.
On behalf of the Liberian leader, Minister McGill launched the initiative with $LD10m.
Minister McGill said that they’re working with the Vice President, a native of Bong County as well as local leaders and the County Legislative Caucus 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 have loved 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.
Giving the overview of the Bong County CDC Scholarship program over the weekend in the county, Representative Josiah Marvin Cole said the thirty milion Liberian Dollars students’ tuition aid program will effect 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.
The ruling CDC Bong County Chapter Representative said the students tuition aid program is intended to ease some of the difficulties or challenges parents are going through in the County in paying their child or children school fees at various campuses in the County.
In remark, Liberia’s Vice President Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor described education as her heartbeats and as such needs to be supported by all Liberian despite the prevailing situations.
The Liberian Vice President then pledged $LD5M to the process and promised to always stands with the students in their struggle of quality education.
She at the same time 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.
The students tuition said because of its importance, both local and national Leaders including citizens of the County in attendance.
As part of supporting the process, a son of the County, Journalist Clarence Jackson pledged fifteenth thousand Liberian Dollars as his own way of contributing to the initiative in the County.
At the end of the LD$30m lunching ceremony, over ninety million Liberian Dollars was raised instead of the targeted $LD30m in the County.
For their part, the benefiting students and parents luaded the Liberian government for the venture describing it as timely.
They stated that since CDC government took over the leadership of Liberia the narrative of education and infrastructure development has changed, evidence by the free tuition for all public Universities and Colleges and the construction of housing units in the Country amongst others.
“What we’re seeing today in our County for a sitting government to provide money for school going kids tuition to be pay, we have not seen it in our Country history since 1847,” the students and parents benefitting from the scholarship added.