-ACE Liberia completes series of teachers training
By Christain W. Kennedy, Kakata, Liberia
A two-week special technical training for primary school teachers has ended at the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (KRTTI), ahead of this week’s official opening of schools in Liberia.
An educational group, the Africa Community Exchange says the special training seeks to enhance and promote teachers development and continuing education across Liberia.
ACE Liberia Board member, Mrs. Rose Mends-Cole Sherman proved that majority of teachers in Liberia are ill- prepared to teach professionally.
According to her, this may be due to the past 14 years of civil conflict that engulfed the country and brought about the near destruction of the nation’s entire educational system.
Mrs. Mends-Cole said this is why the country’s education system has been branded as “messy”.
The ACE Liberia Board member, who is a seasoned educator, stressed that for teachers to have significant remedial skills, they must grasps opportunities for improvement.
Liberian school pupils
Many primary schools teachers do not have the one-year post high school “C” Certificate, which is a minimum prerequisite qualification to teach in Liberia, she said.
According to Mrs. Mends-Cole, the two weeks intensive technical training is ACE Liberia’s way of impacting teachers professionally to change the scenario and support teacher training in development and continuing education program.
This is developed exclusive by ACE- Africa Community Exchange Liberia in partnership with the Kakata Rural Teacher Training Institute (KRTTI) Zete Phi Beta Sorority UAE Chapter (ZETA) and the Liberia Community Network (LCN) to retrain and improve the skills and qualifications of teachers in Liberia.
The first training at the ACE Liberia workshops were held in July and August 2018.
During the July section 11 teacher trainer at KRTTI, 25 principals and school administrators from 20 in Margibi and Montserrado Counties were trained, in addition to the training of ACE and Zeta volunteers at the St. Terasa Convent in Monrovia.
There was also a three-week intensive training workshop in August for 98 teachers from 20 participating schools by KRTTI trainers who were previously trained.
The beneficiaries who are trainers, teachers, principals, identified specific areas in which they needed help and the areas discussed during both workshops.
Pre-test assessment was given to pinpoint remedial gaps.
At the end of the sections, a post-test of the workshops showed the level of competency.
The training workshops focused on basic skills proficiency in language arts, mathematics and science. Also included were classroom management; modern skills/methods; behavior and learning problems; personal growth; civil engagement; ethics, included content on behavioral change, etc.
Peace Corps volunteers in Liberia are said to have significantly contributed to the recent training, providing the literacy and phonics components of the workshops.
ACE Liberia’s theme for this training is “Quality Teachers produce quality students” and their initial focus is to train unqualified teachers in private primary schools from Kindergartens to 6th grades.
The teachers are serving low income population with annual tuition and fees under US$200.00.
Schools benefiting from the training program must be accredited by the Ministry of Education and committed to improving the qualification of their teachers and academic performance of their students.
ACE Liberia noted the schools stand to benefit from curriculum enrichment programs that center on cognitive activities in language arts, mathematics, health and hygiene, sex education, good mannerisms and public speaking.