By Ramsey N. Singbeh, Jr. in Margibi
Liberia’s premiere technical school, Booker Washington Institute (BWI) in Kakata, Margibi County has been shortlisted among the ten best high schools in the world by the T4 Education and World’s Best School Prizes.
BWI which got qualified from the first three stages of the T4 Education and World’s Best School Prizes is set to participate in the final round of the competition which will see five schools being qualified as the World’s best five schools.
Schools qualifying amongst the finalists will receive US$50,000 each. The rationale behind the prizes by the institution is to share the best practices of the schools that are transforming the lives of students and making a real difference in their respective communities. The prizes were established in 2022 by T4 Education which is also a digital media platform.
A certificate signed by the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the World’s Best School Prizes, informing BWI about its selection in a category that also has about five schools from India forming part of the process, reads: “This is to certify that Booker Washington Institute has been shortlisted as one of the top 10 schools selected for the 2023 World Best School Prizes.”
Vikas Pota, Founder and CEO of the Prizes said: “The schools shortlisted for the World’s Best School Prizes, no matter where they can be found or what they teach, all have one thing in common. They all have a strong school culture. Their leaders know how to attract and motivate exceptional educators, inspire change and build excellent teaching and learning environments.”
He congratulates the Booker Washington Institute on being named in the top 10 shortlists for the world’s Best School Prizes 2023 and notes that Schools across the globe will learn from the story of this trailblazing Liberian institution and the culture it has cultivated.
BWI, a Liberian government technical secondary school, is empowering students with the necessary skills and knowledge to break the chains of poverty and unemployment.
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Every year, over 60% of the graduates of the school successfully launch their own businesses, secure employment or move into tertiary education.
Speaking to the NEW DAWN on the campus of the BWI during a celebration on the day of the announcement of the award, Vice Principal for Students Services, Foday K. Roger, said there are many things that qualified the institution, including learning environment, kind of education provided and impact it is making on global society, including Liberia.
He said the institution which currently offers associate of arts and associate of science degrees as an affiliation of the University of Liberia provides post-secondary professional diploma programs, has been appointed as the molding center of TVET in Liberia.
He said this means that anyone who wants to teach at any TVET school in the country must make sure to graduate from the BWI.
He noted that products of BWI are actually impacting Liberia and the world at large.
Mr. Roher recalled that about six months ago, BWI Principal Atty. Dr. Harris Fumba Tarnue was awarded the African Legend of Education Award which is a continental.
At that event, according to him, international educational institutions announced that they were going to open entry and set criteria for schools to participate and the backgrounds of participating schools would be investigated, an opportunity BWI took advantage of. Editing by Jonathan Browne
Congratulations to my alma mater BWI for this amazing achievement! BWI set me off on a successful technical career, not just in Liberia but also on the World Stage. All is owed to the dedication of the men and women at all levels of running and keeping the spirit and intent of BWI alive for generations yet unborn.
Bravo BWI and Godspeed into the finals!!