ZORZOR, Lofa County – Two weeks ago, the Liberian government announced that schools will reopen on Feb. 16. In the light of the announcement, Antoinette Tubman, and Zorzor Central High Schools successfully organized and completed a two-day refresher workshop on professional ethics and the prevention and mitigation of Ebola.
The two-day workshop took place from Feb. 6 to 7. In total, the event hosted fifty instructional staff from the two institutions, four facilitators from the Zorzor Rural Teachers Training Institute (ZRTTI), and three representatives from the Lutheran Development Service (LDS).
Antoinette Tubman is the elementary equivalent of the Zorzor Central High School. The 2013/2014 enrollment report from the District Education Office shows that the Tubman had over three thousand students from ABC to grade 6. Zorzor Central High, the only government-owned high school among the 61 schools in the entire district, has over 1,000 students in grades 7-12.
During the workshop, the LDS donated assorted disinfectants, thermometers and hand washing buckets to be used by the two schools. At the end of the workshop, John Lake, the principal of Zorzor Central High School, told the Bush Chicken that the initiative was to remind instructors of the existence of the Ebola virus and to keep them involved in the fight against it.
“The trainers from the ZRTTI provided basic notes on moral ethics, classroom management [and] lesson planning,” Lake said. “The LDS provided the lesson on the prevention and need for continual awareness on the prevention of Ebola.”
Lake also believes that with the lessons learned from the workshop, instructors are set to begin regular academic work while continuing to spread awareness about Ebola. However, the Zorzor Central High School principal expressed his concern that normal instructional activities may not resume on Feb. 16, due to the lack of instructional materials and sufficient setting capacity for students.
He explained that, even though, the government has promised to provide necessary materials to resume regular academic work, the government is yet to meet up with its commitment. He added that the recent mandate by the government that all PTA funds collected by public school authorities be returned has caused a serious challenge that may delay the recommencement of instructional activities. This was an effort by the government to ensure that its schools are completely free. Next, he stated that the lack armchairs, chalk, and stationery were pressing issues confronting the school.
“If the government cannot provide the materials we need to begin teaching, we will open on the 16th but will not teach any student or carry out any academic activities in the absence of the needed materials,” Lake said in frustration.
The district education officer for Zorzor, Thomas Toe, acknowledges that the government has not provided all the necessary equipment to schools yet. Toe said he attended a Ministry of Education workshop on Wednesday where he received information that the ministry would supply the equipment in March although no exact date was provided. Lofa County is one of the last counties to receive their supplies.
Toe also admitted that grants provided to schools to cover students in grades 1 to 9 had not been transferred into the schools’ accounts yet. He had no date for when the Ministry of Education would complete the transactions. Because Liberia’s education system, like much of its other systems, is highly centralized, funds at a very local level are controlled by the central government.
On a related note, the Information Ministry reported on Tuesday that the Ministry of Education had postponed the opening of schools for the second time, from February 16 to March 2. Schools had been originally slated to open on February 2.
Photo credit: James Kwabo
