-But YMCA Coordinator says No violation
By Moses M. Tokpah,mosesmtokpah@gmail.com
KAKATA, Liberia- Just months after the Education Ministry announced that schools across the country are prohibited from requiring students to buy their uniforms on sale at exorbitant prices, the administration of the Kakata Branch of the YMCA School System has reportedly defied the Ministry.
But the school authorities has said they did nothing wrong.
Liberia has a long track record of coming up with public policies and pronouncements which are often not implemented.
Credible information gathered by www.newspublictrust.com however shows that the school collected money from each student for uniform and other school materials, but it has allegedly failed to provide the students with the paid for items.
This prompted the students to have staged a protest holding the Administration and teaching staff of the institution hostage on Monday morning November 18, 2019.
Angry students of this institution locked out their Principal in his office and also locked the fence, thus preventing the Administration and teaching staffs from leaving the campus.
Speaking to Journalists on the scene of the protest on Monday, some of the students (who preferred not to be named) said they had paid fees charged by the School Administration for their various school materials, but are yet to receive them.
A 12th grade student disclosed that each of them paid the amount of forty United States dollars (US$40) for a package, which includes a set of uniform, Physical Education Suit, Handbooks, Identification Cards and pair of socks respectively.
A 10th grade student also indicates that each student from his class paid the amount of thirty-five United States dollars (US$35) for similar items and the administration promised to give them what they paid for but to no avail.
The students in separate statements disclosed that they paid for their school materials since the resumption of academic 2019/2020, but the administration continues to promise them.
According to the them, their colleagues from other schools continue to make mockery out of them terming the Institution as “behind the house school” on grounds that since the resumption of school they continue using color cloths on campus.
“For the matter of fact every day when I coming from to my house when I wear color cloths to come the people will tell me say that behind the house school I going to, once again they can tell me say I going walk about,” a senior (12th grade) student narrated.
Students of the school however vowed to continue their demonstration, if the Administration does not address their plight.
When contacted, the Principal of the Institution identified as Kromah said he is not the spokesperson for the school, as such he could not comment on the issue.
For his part, the Coordinator of the Kakata YMCA Moore W. Zinnah admitted that the School collected money from the students to purchase school materials but due to some circumstances there has been delay in getting the materials for the students.
Mr. Zinnah stated that he cannot consider the collection of fees from the students to purchase uniforms as a violation of the Ministry’s mandate. He said the school entered into this transaction with the students prior to the Ministry’s pronouncement.
According to him, the school entered into contract with a business entity in China through its representative in Liberia to begin the producing the materials.
“The YMCA has a school system so in order to destine us to be branded we thought to have a unique uniform that will always be used by our school system so prior to the Ministry’s pronouncement that school should not have Uniform sold on campuses we’ve already got into contract with business entity in China through representative in Liberia to begin the processing of our materials. You remember very well that the pronouncement by the Ministry came almost around the opening time of school so most schools may have had preparation prior to the pronouncement so in order words we cannot consider it being in violation of the Ministry’s pronouncement and that’s why our fee was very minimum,” Mr. Zinnah lamented.
The YMCA Kakata Branch Coordinator also admitted that twelve graders are paying forty United States dollars which covers long sleeves shirt, trouser, badge, neck-tie socks and PE outfit among others terming the amount as minimum.
He said knowing that the pronouncement had already being made by the Ministry from the background that economic situation is quite challenging, his institution does not want to overburden parents with extra fees that’s how the school became so minimum.
Mr. Moore W. Zinnah said it is not about the students paying the amount prior to the Ministry’s pronouncement, but it is about the institution prior arrangement that had already invested huge sum of money to the process and that was on the way coming and there was no way that it could be stopped.
He also insinuated that though the Ministry made the pronouncement, the Ministry also took into consideration the timing of the pronouncement on grounds that some schools may have gone into prior arrangement.
“But if you have gone into prior arrangement your fees should not be of huge burden on parents and that’s why we took it into consideration to be very minimum,” the YMCA Kakata branch Coordinator said.