CSA official seeks support for early childhood education

The Director for Public Relations at the Civil Service Agency (CSA), Moses Owen Browne, is calling on government to provide more support for early childhood education in Liberia. Serving as guest speaker at the formal closing of the Excellent Learning Foundation Academy (ELFA) in Monrovia over the weekend, Mr. Browne emphasizes that literacy for every child is a must in the country and needs urgent attention from government.

“It is proven that 90 percent f brain development happens before the age of five. Thousands of the children in Liberia today below age 5 and or above should be in school and learning. Sadly, this is notthe case for Liberia as over half of millions of our children are out of school”, he notes.

“I call on the Government of Liberia, the President; H.E. Mrs. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, national and international organizations to support with budgetary increment and join us raise awareness on early  childhood education and development. Liberia is going nowhere without quality education for its young population,” he continues.

Moses further stresses, “We have to double-up. We are in a major crisis and this emergency is education. We have limited time on our side. But, I believe we can make the difference through faith.”

He says it is disturbing to know that the country still has a large number of out-of-school children with an estimated 10-20 percent of children between the ages of 6-14 not enrolled in school, quoting statistics from the Ministry ofEducation.

Speaking on the topic: “Early Literacy: How Vital It Is To Our Recovery Process”, he says Liberia’s educational system is gradually improving after decades of uncivil conflict which led to the destruction of the  Country’s entire education sector.

“As a country, we are beginning to see wonderful improvements especially, with enrollment, retention and education infrastructure development however; funding for the sector has been very low something which has resulted to a weak system over the last decade.”

He urges parents to continue to support their children’s education, because education is the key to a world of possibility, saying, “With Education, you can open any closed door and overcome many challenges”, while encouraging students to take their learning very seriously.