The Inquirer (Monrovia)
Melissa Chea-Annan
4 September 2008
The Ministry of Education has revoked the licenses of several schools in Monrovia and its environs for their failure to resume classes on a specific date as was mandated by the Ministry.
Those schools that were affected include World Wide Mission School on Newport Street, Calvary Baptist High School, Bishop Marwiah Institute in Sinkor, and S.O Sherman Gmeiner School in Matadi.
Other Schools that were affected were the Len Miller High School on Tubman Boulevard, Light House on Jamaica Road, Bushrod Island, E.W. Blyden Senior High School, Victory Chapel High School in Red-light and the Free Pentecostal Global Mission on 10th Street.
The Acting Minister of Education, Hawah Goll-Kotchi, via mobile phone on a local radio breakfast show early Wednesday morning indicated that these schools' licenses have been revoked for a period of one year, and that they should be reminded that such defiant action by these schools is unacceptable.
According to her this action would serve as deterrent to other schools that would attempt doing same in the future.
The action of the Ministry came following an announcement issued on August 19, where school authorities were warned by the Ministry not to contravene the official date, (September 1) for the reopening of schools throughout the country.
The announcement that was signed by the Deputy Minister for Instruction, Hester Williams-Catakaw, and approved by the Acting Minister of Education, Hawah Goll-Kotchi, warned that any school found in violation would be subject to a fine and or have its operational permit revoked for a period of one academic year.
According to the information, a copy which is in our possession, the Ministry further vowed to take the strongest action to deter violation of the national school calendar.
Some school administrators who talked to this paper expressed shock and wondered why the Ministry would take such a decision at a time when it has just released the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) results and given permission for the graduation of their candidates.
Others expressed the views that the Ministry should reconsider its decision to revoke their licenses and take into consideration the hardship some parents are undergoing to have their children in school.
At the same time some citizens who spoke to this paper said the decision by the Ministry at this time is not appropriate. "Some of us have our children graduating, and we still have to ensure that the other ones go back to school. We are the very ones that are looking for money for all of them.
Their graduation is our pride and we can not make one happy and make the other feel bad. I think the Ministry needs to revoke its statement instead of revoking schools' licenses," one of them said in a rather harsh tone.
When our reporter spoke to an authority of one of those affected schools, he said, "I am just hearing this from you.
When did the Minister say this and what would become of those students that have already registered for the school year? Do they have schools for them or will they collect their money and take them somewhere else?" he questioned endlessly.
Meanwhile the Ministry has warned that any school principal caught charging more than the approved fees would be suspended, dismissed or turned over to the Ministry of Justice for fraud.
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