UNHCR Signs Agreement with FAO

The Principal of the Gardnerville Central Academy (GCA), Mulbah B. Sumo, Sr., has called on authorities of the Ministry of Education to re-enforce its education task force.

Mr. Sumo who sounded the call at his GCA office during an interview with this paper recently said the need to re-empower the taskforce stemmed from the fact there are numerous substandard schools operating coupled with the proliferation of unqualified individuals who are parading the corridor of the Liberian educational system posing as educators or instructors.

He said the reinforcement of the taskforce would serve as a surest way through which schools would be monitored in terms of standard and the quality of instructors that are found in these schools as well as discouraging bribery in the postwar Liberian educational system.

The administrator narrated that the major reasons why students who fail in other schools but are accepted in others without documents can be attributed to the fact that there is lack of unity among school administrators and the failure of the Ministry of Education to effectively reinforce the taskforce.

Mr. Sumo averred that as a testimony to his claim, since his school (GCA) was licensed in 2002 as an academic institution, there had been several occasions where students who failed were later seen in other institutions without documents and even sitting in classes quite beyond their standards. He is therefore urging the Ministry of Education to be swift in saving the system should Liberia truly graduate from the ashes of war.

Touching on the operations of the GCA, the administrator, who is also a candidate for the degree of Master’s of Science (MSC) in education at the University of Liberia, revealed that in addition to academic programs, the school is offering computer education from 8th to 12th Grades; while outsiders are also being trained there. He said as a way of encouraging students to take advantage of learning opportunities as well as buttressing government back-to-school program, the GCA has divided tuition fees into three installments including offering scholarships to deserving students.

According to Mr. Sumo, GCA is a privately owned institution located on the Barnersville Road, “Day Break Mount Open” with a current enrollment of more than five hundred students. He said although his school has performed wonderfully since its establishment, it wants to do more but lacks basic instructional materials such as blackboards, chalks, stationary as well as arm-chairs to facilitate smooth learning atmosphere at the institution.