Hundreds of junior and senior high schools in Nimba County are yearning for an annex or additional classrooms to cope with the huge increase in the number of students enrolling at government schools since the introduction of the free education scheme.

In an exclusive interview over the weekend at Karnplay, Headquarters of Gbehlay-Geh District, the Principal of Karn High School, the only government operated high school in the District, Mr. Kobean G. Teah, said that all the government schools in the District are over-populated, maintaining that there is an urgent need for additional classrooms at every school.

Mr. Teah said the major problem the school is facing is the shortage of chairs, adding in most of the classes, students sand to take notes and write tests.

He however disclosed that at the beginning of the school year, the Ministry of Education through the County Education Office gave some benches to Karn High School, but were not enough to address the present condition the school finds itself in, adding the school's major request to the government is to provide most benches.

He further mentioned that the demand for an annex for Karn High School is not as urgent as most of the feeder schools in the district, adding, junior high schools are overcrowded to the extent that providing benches alone will not solve the problem.

For his part, the Vice Principal for Instruction, Mr. Cooper Beanuah, said the overpopulated school in the district creates more problems like the shortage of instructors, benches, latrines and classrooms, adding "We at government run institutions will not reject students as private institutions will like to do, taken into account the level of effort and emphasis government placed on education.

Meanwhile, the Administration of Karn High School have mounted praises on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf-led government for placing education first and has made papa to return from work with "black plastic bag," thus putting smile on the faces of children.