Feature: The Missing Puzzle of Flag Day

The deserted streets of Monrovia witnessed fewer dwellers, mainly children in their hundreds streaming upfront to the Ministry of Education, as early as 8:30am, just to see the August 24, celebration with a handful of students from selected schools assemble alongside a special unit of the police, the girls’ Guards and Boys Scout.

The next thing was the heavy presence of the security, and that tells you that the President was actually around to receive the eyes-right from the 25 participating schools, which marched from four street corners, and the trailing aspect of the memorable day was over with.

It’s not and should not be for marching sake, rather the inspiration drawn from the occasion, as far as the flag was concerned. With what we have nowadays as we consider, ‘the Flag Day celebration’ is totally a loss of value, many social commentators have said.  

No wonder few girls standing by began to ridicule the Boys Scout, as we anticipate the salutes were given. That’s just a few of the least priority given the once glamorous National Flag Day Celebrations, which is no more, what it used to be.

Correcting the missing puzzle and putting in place measures to uphold the prestige of the Flag must be  efforts worth being made to  bring back the good old days, if not, the spirits of the Flag  will  continue to suffer casualty and loose its relevance continuously.

Since the end of the nation’s civil crisis, the absence from the day’s parade by the military and all other Para-military organizations on Flag Day was equally so among the missing puzzle.

Walking in memory line allows one to record two decades ago, when schools like the Williams V. S. Tubman High School, B.W.I and D. Tweh High School would go all out for a competitive trail and chase for pride and honors among themselves, and not just an award they can’t defend.

The Flag Day celebration was a moment of glory, which all, including students, parents and well wishers would not afford to miss because it had a special patriotic sense of direction of being a part in any way.

Members of the general public are of the opinion for education authorities to reinstate, somehow, a type of school calendar that will suit the celebration of the Flag Day, while there are others who argued that above all, today’s youth have lost the sense of pride, patriotism and belongingness and there’s the need to call them back to order.

To make sure that our youth get back on their disciplinary course, President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf recently confronted them that she would not, and we (parents) should not allow them to massively fail again in the West Africa Examination Council (WEAC).

That’s why she admonished them, “Stay away from video shops and stop drinking slide-a mixture of (illicit alcoholic beverages) and learn to be disciplined and respectful, to study your lessons and be the best you can be in whatever you want to do.”

Not only that, but authorities need to decentralize the celebrations of the Flag Day in all 15-sub political divisions of Liberia to give opportunities to students and schools far and near, to exhibit their talents through the love of the Flag of Liberia.

The Ministry of Education must not just consider the school calendar year, but provide funds and logistics to these counties for the preparation in this direction to facilitate the uniqueness of the annual program. 

It is now left with the Ministries of Education and National Defense and all and sundry, to have their hands on deck in making the next National Flag Day celebration a success and memorable one.