The Informer (Monrovia)
6 July 2009
Cellcom, one of the four GSM companies in the country, has fulfilled its promised made to two schools in the Grand Bassa Capital of Buchanan City in May.
The company on Saturday, May 2, 2009 promised to provide five computer sets, along with internet connectivity to the Bassa High School, and 100 armed chairs to the Buchanan Demonstration Elementary schools.
The promise was made at the close of the 9th weekly draw of the "Cellcom Be A Millionaire Campaign" that recently ended, which was gave out US$10,000 every week to a subscriber.
Presenting the donations to Grand Bassa County Superintended Julia Duncan-Cassell Friday at the company's Capitol Bye-Pass headquarters in Monrovia, Cellcom Chief of Operations William Samoa said the company was pleased to support education in post war Liberia.
"It is our hope that come next academic year, Buchanan Demonstration school students will have a better sitting capacity, and that the Bassa High School will be equipped with computers with internet connectivity son that students there will be able to go online to do research, and be on par with students around the world," Samoa said.
He said Cellcom's objective was to contribute to the government's strive to improve the educational system which is under one of the four pillars of the Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).
He said the company will send a team to Buchanan at the Bassa High, the only senior high school in the county, to install the computers with internet facilities.
Receiving the donation a delighted Supt Duncan-Cassell applauded Cellcom for the donation, and described the company as being the Number One GSM service provider in the country.
She said as a result of the government-declared free and compulsory education, enrollment in schools, the Buchanan Demonstration School in particular has swelled. Seating capacity, she noted has been a problem, but Cellcom has filled the gap for students of the Buchanan Demonstration Sch0ol.
She them called on other companies to follow the footsteps of Cellcom, to recognize that Monrovia is not Liberia.
When he announced that donation in May, in Buchanan City, Mr. Samoa said they were moved by the plight of Liberian children and to support the country's PRS.
Mr. Samou said education was very cardinal to the development of Liberia, and this begins by educating the young children, which government has underscored under its PRS implementation.
Revitalizing the educational system is cardinal under the Liberian government's Poverty Reduction Strategy (PRS).
Liberia's PRS articulates the Government's overall vision and major strategies for moving toward rapid, inclusive and sustainable growth and development during the period 2008-2011.
The PRS is being implemented between April 1, 2008 and June 30, 2011 (the end of the 2010/2011 fiscal year). This period is of critical importance as Liberia shifts from post-conflict stabilization to laying the foundation for inclusive and sustainable growth, poverty reduction, and progressing toward the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the PRS paper states.
The donor-dependent US$1.6bn program is crafted with four major pillars including enhancing peace and national security, governance and the rule of law, economic revitalization and rehabilitation of infrastructures and delivery of basic social services. Education falls in the last pillar (Pillar 4, chapter 9) of the PRS document. D Kaihenneh Sengbeh writes
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