Written By: Henry Gboluma, Gbarpolu County
Bopolu City, Gbarpolu County – The Policy to improve schooling after the Ebola crisis has begun in Gbarpolu County with its first key deliverable, the distribution of books in the six administrative Districts of the County.
“We want to be thankful to Global partner for Educations GPE and the Ministry of Education, Hon. Minister Wanner, and the Deputies and Assistants Ministers,” Hon. Danwolo B.S. Catakata, County Education Officer (CEO) told Local Voices Liberia at his office in Bopolu City.
He continued: “You know this Books Distribution is very important or there are two categories. We have the Prescribe and secondary text books.”
The CEO disclosed that there are 5,272 books presently in the county and being distributed adding that they include Supplementary readers for Grades 1-4 and textbooks for Grades 1-9 in the four core subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies, & English) for public schools.
Hon. Catakawa admitted that there are lapses in the Teaching system in the county adding: “What we are gathering from some of these areas have their own arrangement, sometime if the teachers are two running a school, they can divide the teaching days within the weeks, and we continue to farm on these thing.”
He concluded by saying the books distribution is conventional as such they will take advantages of the many training that will be coming up as well as implement the mandates of the MOE by closing all schools in the county on July 31, 2015.
Meanwhile, the Books distribution team supervisor, David M. Morris says the distribution is going on as planned. “We came in this county on the 19th of this month to distribute these books. We have carried books in Bokomu, Gbarma, and also we have send cars to Kongbor as well as here in Bopolu district. But our major challenge is the road.”
He lamented the bad road condition which may lead to delays in the distribution process.
Mr. Morris said the books are been stamped indicating that it will help the school system and the public trace these books when taken away. He thanked staff of the County school system for their coordinated supports toward the current nationwide books distribution.
This textbooks distribution is one of the many deliverables pointed out by the MOE authority to be carry out before the opening of the 2015-2016 academic schools in September this year.
One (1) million textbooks for Grades 5-9 in the four core subjects (Math, Science, Social Studies, & English) for public schools. Also, there are 1.3 million Supplementary readers for Grades 1-4 nationwide to all public basic education schools.
This book project is part of the Ebola Emergency response project funded by World Bank allocated to the MOE of Liberia