A consultant of the Universal Postal Union, Gunter Bohn, currently visiting Liberia, has disclosed plans to revamp the entire postal system of Liberia.

Addressing reporters recently at the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications, Mr. Bohn who is the LogCon Management Consultant, said there was a need to rehabilitate the country's postal system and to open sub-offices in the 15 counties of Liberia.

He said the civil war had created volumes of local and international problems for the country's postal system which needed a comprehensive approach based on request from the Government of Liberia to the Universal Postal Union and other donors.

Mr. Bohn said at the end of phase one of the assessment exercise, it was discovered that Liberia has a critical case that needed international attention and urged the Liberian Government to initiate efforts that would pave the way for the country to be re-admitted to the UPU.

He said Liberia's postal system has lost public trust due to many reasons created as the result of the years of civil conflict so the government should seek opportunities that would help to restore public confidence in works of the Post and Telecommunications Ministry.

Mr. Bohn assured that there were lot of opportunities in the international postal cycle that the government could take advantage of in restoring the nation's postal services which he said is another revenue generating arm to support the national economy.

The UPU consultant who is on a 15-day assessment visit here, said there were major cities, towns and communities including institutions in the country that needed postal services beginning with a short-term program to start the delivery of mail services throughout the country.

He said such program could target Tubmanburg, Ganta, Kakata, Salala, Barnersville, Bensonville, New Kru Town, Logan Town, St. Paul Bridge and other communities as well as institutions like the LPRC, NPA, MCC, LBDI, among others.

LWF Assists Flood Victims The Lutheran World Federation, through its Emergency Department, has presented over 90 bundles of used clothes to flood victims in Joe Blow Town, Smell-No-Taste, in Margibi County.

The items, valued about US$200, include 35 bags of blankets; 40 bags of comforters; 10 bags of Sweaters and 2 bags of children clothes as well as 5 bags of women clothing.

Speaking during the presentation of the items, the Program Officer of the LWF/WS Emergency Department, A.

Kai Jelly, said the gesture was a way of identifying with the victims and urged them to take courage saying that the situation was part of life.

He regretted the incident and disclosed plans to extend the relief services to other affected communities including Unification Town.

Receiving the items on behalf of the victims, the Chief of Joe Blow Town, Eddie Gibson, extolled the LWF/WS for the assistance and appealed to other local and international NGOs to emulate the LWS/WS example.

Sixty six houses were affected by the recent flood which left two thousand persons homeless.

'Papa Na Come' Uncertain -NTAL Veep Says It May End In Frustration By Edwood Dennis The Vice President of the National Teachers Association of Liberia, (NTAL) Joshua Sammy is wondering over the possibility of the "Papa Na Come" inaugural promise made by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, indicating that children are likely to hope in perpetuity.

Mr. Sammy told participants at a one-day civil society consultative forum, organized by the Liberian National Law Enforcement Agency, (LINLEA) that the possibility for teachers to return home to their families was very unlikely unless the Liberian Government addresses the many problems confronting public school teachers in the country.

He said that besides the "Papa Na Come" promise, several factors including salary checks encashment, removing ghost names from the payroll among others were causing problems for both the association and teachers in particular.

He said that it was disgraceful that people who acquired the requisite education to impact knowledge into the youths could experience countless difficulties that could impede their efforts to remain the classroom.

According him, many problems including low salary, illegal extortion of 20% from teachers' salary cheques by money ex-changers as well as bottlenecks created by the Ministries of Finance and Education, were among conditions strangulating them.

He said up to present, teachers from rural communities were still roaming these ministries in search of their April salaries as the result of new payroll measures introduced by the two ministries.

The NTAL Vice President pleaded with the LINLEA to lobby with the government to ensure that offices are set up in collaboration with the association in every county to avoid teachers traveling long distances to come to Monrovia for salary cheques.

For his part, the Chairman of the National Coalition of Civil Society Organizations, (NASSCOL) B. Ignatius George, said, "I blamed the problems on the County Education Officers and the District Education Officers for not providing update to both the Ministries of Finance and Education before the government rightsizing policy which has affected the teachers".

According to him, the DEO and CEO did not play "a constructive role" in the process to enable officials at both ministries to have proper information about the regular number of teachers working and assigned to every government school throughout the country.

The NASSCOL Chairman then assured the teachers of the CSOs cooperation to finding solutions to the many challenges before them.