By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
Reports gathered by this news outlet says the Firestone Senior High School in Harbel Hills has been temporarily shut down, due to the lack of fuel to transport the students.
The management is yet to speak to the issue, but credible reports students didn’t attend classes on Thursday, March 10,2022, due to the lack of fuel and the recent increase in petroleum products on the Liberian market.
This week, the Liberian government announced an increase in the prices of petroleum products on the local market, in the wake of the sharp rise in prices on the international market following the eruption of Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The Liberian government has now set the wholesale price of gas at US$5.48 and the retail (pump) price at US$5.66. As for fuel, the wholesale price is US$5.82, while the pump price is US$6.00. This means that filling up a gasoline car that takes 10 gallons now costs nearly US$57; more than what was paid just about a week ago, at the price of US$45. For diesel vehicles, the price is even higher.
The school buses usually pick up students from the Harbel field house bus stop to the Firestone Senior high school in Harbel Hills from 6-7:15 am and returns on the campus to pick up the students at 2:30pm after school.
Firestone Senior high school was established in 2009 to provide quality education for its employees’ dependents and since its establishment, buses have been available to carry students to school and take them back to their various destinations.
However, this Reporter has been reliably informed by a highly placed source from Firestone, who requested anonymity, said that due to the shortage of petroleum products on the market, their school buses are unable to take their students to the high school.
“Each of those buses used more than one hundred gallons of fuel per day and total now context, who usually supplied with fuel is not providing the regular amount of fuel it usually provide,” one of the sources said.
“We shut down the Senior high school from Thursday March 10,2022 to Friday March 11,2022, for now but by Monday March 14,2022, they hoping that students will return to school if the fuel is available,” the source said.
It has been learned that the management of Firestone will divert the fuel to their medical facilities because it is life-saving areas and other priorities areas but for now, the school is shut down.
It has also been learned that the only hydro they are depending on water level is low which has affected their capability and currently, only computers are on in offices and no air condition is allowed to be on.
“They will use their diesel power house to electrify the entire farm and the hospital which are priority areas,” one of our sources said.
Meanwhile, our source said that the management of Firestone is working with petroleum importers to remedy the situation.