PHOTO: Mr. Shelor Namue
By J. Peter S. Dennis,dennisrealone@gmail.com
PHOTO: Shelor Namue, a local education official in Bong
GBARNGA, Liberia: The human resource officer at the Ministry of Education in Bong County has described the CDC’s scholarship as politically motivated.
Appearing on a local radio station (Premium FM) in the county recently, Mr. Shelor Flomo Namue said that the scholarship’s administrators should have met the leadership of the Bong school board for further advised prior to its launching exercise.
The scholarship program was launched last year by the Minister of States for Presidential Affairs, Nathaniel Falo McGill and supported by other high profile government officials including vice president, Chief Dr. Jewel Howard Taylor to alleviate some of the financial tensions on parents in the country. The launching took place at the David Kuyon Sports Stadium in Gbarnga.
The scholarship is in the tone of fifty (50) million Liberian Dollars.
Mr. Namue believes the alleged failure of the scholarship committee to work in line with the Ministry of Education school board and other heads of the county has made the scholarship politically driven.
“One thing they should have done first is to meet the county school board and the county leadership to explain the pros and cons of the scholarship before establishing it in here. But this was not done,” he said.
“This is one is really embarrassing schools, and our Principals don’t want to talk over fear of losing their jobs. I see this as a serious embarrassment [to the educational system],” Mr. Namue averred.
The Ministry of Education human resource officer in Bong County feels the scholarship is also intended for those politicians to maintain their seats or deny the right of students from acquiring quality education.
According to Mr. Namue, the CDC’s Scholarship has denied public schools of generating the required resources to operate only in the name of awaiting a mini portion of funds from the scholarship committee.
In his analytical radio appearance, he argued that Dolokelen Gboveh Multilateral (Bong’s oldest and biggest public school) generates nearly four million Liberian Dollars per academic year as a million Liberian Dollars from the Bong County scholarship committee is a drop in the ocean.
Each student in Gboveh, according to government’s mandate, pays three thousand Liberian Dollars with its intake of 1500 students per school term.
Mr. Shelor Flomo Namue further thinks that the school is being rob
The electoral district#3 representative hopeful in the upcoming elections urged its administers and parents not to be fooled by the one million LD media reports as it’s not a help to the school considering that political scholarship doesn’t allow additional fees payment.
Background
The scholarship in question is being based in Bong County by electoral district#3 representative Josiah Marvin Cole, who does the payment to selected schools.
Our reporter has gathered that majority of the selected schools are in electoral district#3 with a few in other areas. Other rural areas are yet to benefit the scholarship that is only tuitions for selected students.
The office of electoral district#3 representative Marvin Cole has since refused to clarify its huge concentration in his district when the scholarship is intended for the County.
The lawmaker and some of his office staffers are regularly seen with cheques in thousands and millions distributing them to schools without the direct involvement of educators including the Bong County School Board- a body that coordinates the activities of schools in the county, in accordance with the educational reform act of 2011.
Others criticize the decision
The Bong County School Board chair, Dr. Alfredson Taikerweah along with his Deputy Mr. Jessie Barchue Cole has since criticized the decision; adding that a formal agreement (MOU) has not been signed to guarantee the scholarship.
A principal has also criticized him of not paying their fees.
According to the Chief Compound Public School Principal, Folo Moses Plator, Rep. Cole pledged two hundred thousand Liberian dollars as part of the Bong County scholarship funds for students attending the school, but the vow has not been fruitful since last September.
Mr. Plator admitted that the promise has paralyzed the school’s operation as there are no instructional materials including stationery. There’s also no money to purchase wood and other accessories for Mary’s Meals purpose due to the situation, its principal continued.
He told our reporter that the assertion from the Bong County lawmaker has since discouraged parents from paying fees in the school while they are feeling the pinch.
He maintained he has visited the lawmaker, but the narratives are not changing as things are reportedly getting difficult.
Meanwhile, Representative Cole’s administrative assistant, Eldorado Cammue promised to respond to the Education Ministry’s local official in due course.
However, like Taikerweah and Cole, some citizens in Bong County have lambasted the payment method while requesting the leadership to script an MOU to avoid future problems.
Many beneficiaries have also lauded the government for its scholarship.