Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf once described Liberia's educational system as a complete mess. Apparently, the former president was referring to how students are being treated in various learning institutions across the county.
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Monrovia-Former President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf once described Liberia's educational system as a complete mess. Apparently, the former president was referring to how students are being treated in various learning institutions across the county.
Liberian students who are referred to as future leaders of the country are going through hardship in their learning process as many sit on bare floor in some schools to acquire education. This is what happening in Rivergee County where students are made to sit on the floor to learn due to the lack of chairs in one of the government-owned institutions.
Activist Martin K. N. Kollie posted on his social media page saying, "This is what happens when hyenas are elected to shepherd a flock of sheep. The 177-year-old country where future leaders sit on the ground to learn while politicians sit in US$45K cars and spend over US$17 million just for legislative meetings."
Fresh pictures from River Gee County in Southeastern Liberia point to a public school in Fish Town known as Demonstration Public School speaks of how the school-going children are made to sit on the ground to learn.
A teacher from the the county shared photos of the inhumane condition of students of the public school. He said hundreds, if not thousands, of school-going kids have to go through this every day.
"They sit on the bare floor for several hours just to learn. If simple materials like chairs/desks/seatings cannot be provided for Liberian kids studying at nursery and primary levels, what then can be provided? This is what happens when hyenas are elected to shepherd a flock of sheep," Kollie said.
"What did they spend on themselves last fiscal year? These are just a few expenditure lines from FY2024 Outturn Report: Salary for 103 Lawmakers-US$12,378,671, fuel for their Vehicles - US$4,587,995, constituency Visit-US$2,928,288, new vehicles-US$3,914,999, Legislative Committee Hearings-US$17,185,176, total for just only five lines-US$40,995,129," Kollie disclosed.
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He furthered, "This is over US$40.9 million spent on just five lines for themselves (lawmakers) for doing nothing, but hundreds of Liberian school-going kids are sitting on the bare ground. We've not even added expenditures for their furniture, entertainment, food, generators, foreign travels, stationery, consultancy, DSA, incidental allowances, retreat, scratch card, internet, courier, etc. This is happening when thousands of volunteer doctors, nurses, teachers, and security personnel are not on payroll while most of those on payroll earn a non-living wage of US$150 per month."
He added that the country's money is lavishly spent to send their kids abroad for schooling and to expensive private schools in Liberia, but they are unable to procure chairs/desks for public schools. This is what happens when hyenas are elected to shepherd a flock of sheep.
"A durable student desk including CIF charges (shipping) is US$23. If just US$1 million is spent, Liberia could get/procure 43,478 desks for thousands of students. But they (politicians) just don't care. Locally made desks/chairs, which we would prefer and recommend, could even be lesser in price. But they just don't care," Martin Kollie averred.
He noted on his social media page, "Look at even their cars, and look at where Liberian kids sit to learn. They got these things from public money. They didn't work for any money anywhere. They are leeching on public money while y'all, the people/taxpayers, "are abandoned to suffer and rot in poverty. They care less about you, the people. They care more about their fat accounts, deep pockets, and luxurious cars. We must fight to change this woeful pattern of institutionalized thievery.
Martin Kollie among other things said the suffering in Liberia is artificial adding, "It is man-made. It is incentivized by greed and graft (corruption)."
