Members of the National Teachers Association of Liberia (NTAL) have been asked to go back to school for self-development by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf during the organization's 64th National Convention held Tuesday at the Booker Washington Institute (BWI), Margibi County.

"We still like to see you teachers go back to school yourselves. We'll talk to the minister to see how some of you can go abroad for studies; you know we have scholarships," said President Sirleaf.

The Liberian leader at the occasion told the teachers that her earlier comment condemning the education system here as "a mess" was just a wakeup call to get the sector working, saying no matter how many roads and other social facilities were built here, they would not be maintained but would rather go ruin if the Liberian society lacked educated people.

She however assured that though resources were limited with numerous challenges facing government to build across all the sectors, government would try to look at the level of teachers' salaries, especially for those who have been in the teaching field for long time for more supplements.

To change the usually way of obtaining their salaries abandoning classes for weeks, President Sirleaf said she did not want teachers chasing salaries at long distances especially given the roads conditions, assuring that such problems are being looked at with the establishment of Financial Centers under the Ministry of Finance in addition to commercial banks in other places.

The Liberia leader gave the teachers US$5,000, leaving them with the options of either adding it to the ongoing construction of the NTAL facility or dividing it at the convention. Education Minister Etmonia Tarpeh told the teachers that no country around the world can satisfy all its teachers, but promised government's commitment to do its best in addressing the teachers' concerns.

Following the meeting with the teachers at BWI, President Sirleaf cut ribbons on the newly renovated facilities of the Bong Mines Central High School as well as visited the rebuild Bong Mines health center, all under the initiatives of the China Union. At the Bong Central High School, the Principal Margret Stewart said the school is the only public school there with a current enrollment of 800 students and 32 teachers.

Among several recommendations advanced, Madam Stewart pleaded with President Sirleaf and education authorities to set up a science laboratory, put prescribed text books in a good reading room, establish a junior college in extension to the high school, give scholarships for deserving students, housing units for teachers, and the establishment of vocational, technical or trade school for school drop outs.

In response, Minister Etmonia Tarpeh said "Let see first how the high school will operate" before the establishment of a junior college. She said government will look at priority areas, especially the establishment of library, teaching materials, among others.

President Sirleaf who had deferred response to Minister Tarpeh later presented 100 school bags, 90 pieces of pencil boxes, ten volley balls, ten footballs, and fifteen uniforms through the instrumentality of WISCO, a Chinese Company working along with China Union here in the Bong Mines Project.

President Sirleaf further gave 20 scholarships out to the school, and announced that all ten other officials at the program would each give at least one scholarship, respectively.