Simeon Freeman backs Education Minister

The political leader of the opposition Movement for Progressive Change or MPC, Simeon Freeman, says he supports call by the Minister of Education George Werner to close schools by end of July.

Speaking to reporters Tuesday, Mr. Freeman said schools need to close and re-open in September to enable students in Liberia be on par with their colleagues in the subregion in readiness for the West African Examination Council or WAEC exams.

He said parents shouldn’t worry as fees paid will not be wasted, “if a student makes a passing mark, that child will be promoted for the next academic year in September”, he said.

Mr. Freeman called on the 53rd Liberian Legislature to leave the Education Minister alone so he can perform his duties. According to the MPC leader, the Legislature had earlier allotted 11 percent of the national budget to education, but they have dropped it to 6 percent, stressing the need to increase support to the education sector rather than condemning current effort by Minister George Werner.

He noted that students in rural Liberia are not learning as they only spend two to three hours a day in school, while high school graduates in Monrovia are teaching high school students and bachelor degree holders teaching those pursuing bachelor degrees in college.

Meanwhile, authorities at the Ministry of Education have been mandated to develop, promote, and implement educational policies and create necessary institutional framework that will provide universal education for all Liberians as well as enable government to provide and sustained human resource development in the country.  By Ethel A. Tweh – Editing by Jonathan Browne