The New Dawn Liberia | Truly Independent

Education Minister Etmonia David Tarpeh has warned teachers against beating and screaming at students. Speaking on King’s Farm in Careysberg, outside Monrovia shortly after formal turnover ceremony for a US$50,000.00 Early Childhood Development (ECD) Public School by Save the Children ECD Project, Minister Tarpeh urged teachers to create a school-friendly environment for students.

However, she said this could only happen if teachers are committed to ensuring that children do learn, other than whipping (beating) and screaming at them.

“…Because the children that will come to this program are the bedrock for our future. If they do not get trained properly, that’s when you find people graduating from universities and don’t have the skills to work,” said Minister Tarpeh.

She said students would stay away from school and will not learn much as long as they are made to harbor fears that they will be beaten in school.

Earlier at the program, the head of Dental Department at the John F. Kennedy Hospital Dr. Ayele Ajavon-Cox launched the National Sectoral Early Childhood Development Policy on behalf of Health and Social Welfare Minister Dr. Walter T. Gwenigale.

She said in developing countries, every educational policy has a health component, stressing an unhealthy child cannot learn. Save the Children UK Education Manager Dr. Chester Shafor told this paper that the ECD Project was implemented through THINK (Touching Humanity In Need of Kindness) at the cost of US$50,000.00.

Dr. Shafor appreciated the King’s Farm Community and the Parent –Teachers Association (PTA) Chairlady Tawah Fayiah for their hard work toward the completion of the facility.

He however noted that Save the Children UK looks forward to scaling up the program through a sustainable community-based model that will enable many children to benefit from quality ECCD program at a lower cost.

At the climax of his comments, Dr. Shafor officially hand the bundle of keys of the facility to Education Minister Etmonia David Tarpeh, who accordingly passed it on to her Deputy Minister for Instruction Dr. Mator M.F. Kpangboi. Dr. Kpangboi finally handed the keys to the relevant school authority.

Meanwhile, King’s Farm Community PTA Chairlady Tawah Fayiah has called on government to build a health center or clinic in the community.

She told the gathering that the lack of a clinic in the community puts serious challenge to residents, adding that cholera patients and other diseases have to be transported through long distances for treatment.