Samuel Siebu on the Importance of Higher Education in Liberia

 

Samuel Siebu Discusses Education Initiatives

Most people take education for granted. People don't appreciate it as much as they should and try to get out of school altogether. Without a proper education opportunity for a better life become minimized. Liberia is a country in West Africa and is the 4th poorest country in the world making it very difficult for them to provide schools and teachers. This makes it hard for the children to receive a solid education. The Liberian education system needs many improvements such as money and a good teaching staff. More than half the teachers in Liberia are uneducated and incapable of teaching kids what they need to learn. The curriculum and content are not something the teachers quite understand which makes this hard for them to teach the kids. Samuel Siebu goes into more detail about how important it is for higher education in Liberia.

In the elementary schools, which are grades 1-6, kids ages from 6-12, are receiving most of their education through churches. Others are being run by government under the supervision of Monrovia Cooperative School System. English is the official language of instruction in Liberia public schools. State schools are poorly operated and private school fees are ungodly high. Those who do attend kindergartens learn to identify letters and read a little. After that they go on to primary school for 6 years where they follow courses in arithmetic and general science, and sometimes also English and bible studies too.

Junior high school, which are grades 7-9, kids ages from 12-15, are attending school mainly in Monrovia, and at isolated missions in the countryside. All are controlled by the ministry of education that prescribes algebra, chemistry, geography, geometry, and physical science as the curriculum. At the end of this period, they sit for their west African examinations.

Senior Secondary education, grades 10-12, kids ages from 15-18, complete their school education. Here, students study more advanced levels of junior high school subjects and prepare for university. As 98% of these schools are in the capital city of Monrovia, it becomes clear that the system is designed around the needs of the nations established.

Vocational education training is bad, and the outcome is not good. These kids’ futures were severely destroyed in sectarian violence through recent years. If they get a job at all (especially in the rural areas) then they are grateful just to be told what to do. Tertiary education has also suffered in the past two decades.

Although Liberia is a poor country, Samuel Siebu notes the need for a higher education is crucial. While some steps are being taken to help these children gain knowledge of the world, it is imperative that the government work towards a solution to get these kids the education they need. And not just the kids, but the teachers need to be educated as well so they can properly teach the curriculum.