CEO chides parents

The County Education Officer of Nimba County, Wleh T. Sailah, has differed with parents calling for the reopening of schools in March instead of the February 2 schedule pronounced by the Government of Liberia.

The Government, through the Ministry of Education has set February 2, 2015, for schools across the country to resume normal academic activities, something which is being described as a financial burden to parents, many of whom are not currently prepared financially.

Mr. Sailah, who is also calling on parents to prioritize their children’s education, said the February 2 opening of schools will help to test the strength of the government as to whether Ebola is out of Liberia. “For long time our children have sat home without doing anything to improve their learning ability”, he noted.

He further explained that the issue of opening schools in February is to get children from the streets, saying, “The immediate closure of schools in the country due to the Ebola virus caused many youth to be on the streets doing nothing.”

CEO Sailah made spoke over the weekend in Nimba County electoral district # 15 where he was honored by some youths of the district for his contribution to education in Nimba.

According to the County Education Officer, those citizens calling on the Ministry of Education to postpone the reopening of schools are people who don’t desire well for their children, saying, “If they don’t have the money to send their children to school, let them sit and wait for the next year; you can’t used all of your money on single Christmas and New Year and then you cry to government to delay schools opening.”

He stressed that citizens, particularly parents ought to know the importance of education to the society, adding that the educational system in Liberia is not on par with other West African countries, because Liberia lacks the necessary equipment that students need, and parents should know that their kids’ time has been wasted due to the killer virus, Ebola.

“We cannot afford to waste our children time, because Ebola has stopped our students from going to their various schools”, CEO Sailah concluded.