Private Schools launch NAPSPATAL

In a bid to bring sanity to the educational sector, the National Private Schools’ Parents-Teachers Association of Liberia (NAPSPATAL) has been launched in the country. NAPSPATAL is conglomeration of private schools’ PTAs aimed at addressing challenges and negative vices facing the educational sector through a concerted effort.

Ceremony marking the launch of the educational development organization was held Monday, 16 May at the Len Miller High School in Sinkor, Monrovia. The Chairman of NAPSPATAL, Mr. Edward Sherman, said the primary goal of the association is to unite all private schools’ PTAs and ensure that they are effective in their functions.

He noted that the organization will ensure that all private schools in the country have basic facilities such as toilet, Science lab, cafeteria, library and better health and sanitation. Listen to Mr. Sherman: “We are going to make private schools to teach one curriculum in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and WAEC curriculum to help stop the mass failure of our students.”

“We are going to make sure that all schools in the Republic of Liberia have a booklet card system. That will help us put stop to self-promotion. And therefore, create an academic data system for all private schools,” he continued.

The NAPSPATAL chairman furthered that one of the major goals of the group is to prevail on private schools to bring back some former extra curricula such as technical skills, press club, spelling competition, chapel program, music and drafting, among others that will encourage students to stay in school.

“To put stop to some of these irregularities we are going advocate for better salary and incentives for our teachers and working staff,” he promised, and added, “We are going to encourage the Ministry of Justice to enforce the drugs and alcoholic law that is now destroying our people and country, especially our youth. We will create an educational taskforce that will monitor all of our schools’ activities,” Mr. Sherman pointed out.

He NAPSPATAL will seek for a law that will protect and guide student’s right and relationship with the schools’ authorities, proprietors and teachers, saying “This law is going to extend to teachers who will harass our students for sex for grades and money for grades and other violations against our children. Students’ discipline will be paramount.”

For his part, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of NAPSPATAL, Mr. Peter N. Ben, said the establishment of the association is one of the responses by the private school education sector to several calls by the Government of Liberia for ideas, initiatives and strategies that will assist her government in meeting the many challenges in the delivery of quality education.

He pointed out that the association seeks to support government’s effort in its drive to providing sound and relevant education to the children of Liberia.

By Bridgett Milton-Editing by Jonathan Browne