Bong County Scholarship Committee, a team setup to coordinate the disbursement of a 30 million dollar scholarship fund launched by the Liberian government has begun the second phase of disbursement of funds to schools in the county.
In April of this year, the Liberian government through the offices of Minister of State for Presidential Affairs Nathaniel Mcgill and Jorquelleh District Representative J. Marvin Cole launched the scholarship program to help reduce financial burdens that parents and self – sponsored students are faced with.About a month after the launch, the committee presented three million Liberians Dollars to three schools for the first phase.
However on Tuesday, 1 June 2021, several schools gathered to benefit their share of the scholarship fund with support from the Liberian government. The second phase of the disbursement is to the tune of $6 Million Liberian Dollars and will target schools in Gbarnga.
Speaking before the presentation of cheques to schools, Bong County District #3 Representative J. Marvin Cole described the scholarship as a great help to the people of the county.
He said as officials of the committee, they have been able to lobby with the government to top up the amount to 54 million dollars for scholarships. Rep. Cold said the government of President George Weah remains committed to ensuring quality and affordable education in Liberia.
“This is a clear manifestation that President Weah is the best, he has shown his willingness to always [help] the underprivileged students. I want to assure you that this government will always help you; this government will do all it takes to make you attain quality and affordable education,” he maintained.
According to Mr. Cole, this is the first of its kind for each school in Bong to receive more than five hundred thousand as scholarship funds. Totota Lutheran; Nathaniel V. Massaquoi High school; St. Mark’s Lutheran High School; Sumo Moye Memorial Institute; and St. Martin’s Catholic High school benefited 500,000.00 each from the second phase of the disbursement.
Additionally, Arthur B. Francis High School got LRD$485,000 while Martha Tubman High School got 84,000 from the school funds distribution. Out of the 30 million dollars that the committee had, a total of $9 million dollars has been disbursed so far. Some of the students after receiving their cheques lauded the Liberian government for the gesture, describing it as financial liberation.
[bsa_pro_ad_space id=1]
Jerome B. Tokpah, a student from the Suakoko High School said he is very happy to benefit from the government’s scholarship, adding that he will forever remain grateful to the President as well as Mr. Marvin Cole.
“The good thing is, I will not pay graduation fees because they told us that if you already paid school fees, the money given should be placed in the account for graduation fees,” he added. Catherine Logan of St. Martin’s High School said she was at the verge of dropping from school but what has been placed in the school’s account will keep her in school for the next academic year.
By Joseph Titus Yekeryan–Edited by Winston W. Parley
