- A report by The Liberian Investigator has prompted concrete action in Bong County, leading to the renovation of the Gbarnga Central School of the Deaf, the county's only institution dedicated to educating children with hearing impairments.
The intervention followed a June 2025 exposé detailing the school's deteriorating conditions--findings that drew the attention of the Bong County Council, which subsequently approved a US$1,500 allotment to rehabilitate the facility.
The Gbarnga Central School of the Deaf is not a government-run institution. It operates from the private residence of Ninga Colley, a local educator who in 2019 converted her modest three-room home into a learning space for deaf children excluded from Liberia's mainstream education system.
With no public school in Bong County equipped to accommodate children with hearing impairments, Colley's initiative has become the sole lifeline for dozens of families seeking education for their children.
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When reporters visited the school in June, they found a structure in distress: a leaking roof, no ceilings, peeling boards, scarred walls and chronic shortages of basic learning materials such as chalk and markers. The conditions mirrored a broader national failure to translate inclusive education policies into reality.
County Responds After Report
In July last year, the county council--under the leadership of Chairman Aaron Sackie-Fenlah--approved funds for the school's renovation.
Speaking to The Liberian Investigator over the weekend, Colley confirmed receipt of the funds, describing the support as long overdue and deeply impactful.
"We received US$1,500 from the county administration to help renovate the school--support we had long appealed for," she said. "It helped us significantly."
According to Colley, the money was used to repair the roof, repaint the building, refurbish classrooms and purchase basic stationery. She said all expenditures were documented and will be formally reported to the county council.
"We bought planks, zinc and other materials and paid the contractors," she said. "We have receipts for everything."
She thanked the county administration for what she called a timely intervention, but stressed that the school's needs remain pressing. Colley appealed for additional assistance to procure furniture and urged the national government to deploy trained teachers to the school to improve instructional quality.
Colley also credited The Liberian Investigator for bringing national attention to the school's plight.
"Thanks to you and those you work with for reporting our situation," she said. "As a result, we received this support."
For his part, Sackie-Fenlah confirmed the allotment and said the council expects the funds to be used strictly for their intended purpose. He assured the school of continued support within the limits of county resources.
A Broader Inclusion Gap
The renovation comes against the backdrop of a deeper, systemic challenge. Despite Liberia's 1986 Constitution of Liberia, which guarantees equal access to education, and the Inclusive Education Policy, deaf and visually impaired children across the country remain largely excluded from public schooling.
Advocates say Bong County reflects a national pattern. There are more than 30 public schools in the county, yet none is designed for children with hearing or visual impairments. Disability rights advocates describe this as institutional neglect rather than oversight.
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Liberia is also a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which obligates the state to ensure inclusive education and equal opportunity. For many children in Bong County, that promise remains unfulfilled.
Small Fix, Larger Question
While the renovation of the Gbarnga Central School of the Deaf represents a tangible improvement, education advocates caution that piecemeal interventions cannot substitute for systemic reform.
"This is not just an education issue--it's a human rights issue," said local disability advocates. "Renovation is welcome, but inclusion must be policy in action, not policy on paper."
