Africa-Press – Liberia. As schools across Liberia reopen for the new academic year, children in Gbarn-la Town, Electoral District #5, Bong County, are left stranded, facing an uncertain future after the collapse of their only public school.
The community-built structure, which once served over 500 students from primary to junior high levels, now lies in ruins. Its roof is torn, its walls are cracked, and its classrooms are deemed unsafe, forcing teachers and pupils to abandon the facility.
For a town of more than 5,000 residents, the closure is more than an inconvenience; it is a crisis. Education, once a beacon of hope for the community’s children, has been brought to a halt.
Before the dirt bricks fell
“It is disheartening that in the 21st century, our children are left without a place to learn,” lamented community leader G. Faith Suah. “We built this school with our own hands, but we can no longer do it alone. We need the government’s intervention.”
Parents fear the worst: that children may drop out entirely or attempt long and costly walks to distant schools, an option many struggling families cannot afford.
Civil society groups and education advocates in the area say the situation highlights a broader problem of neglect in Liberia’s public school system, where many rural communities still rely on poorly resourced, community-built facilities with limited government support.
“This is not just about Gbarn-la Town,” said one of the youth in the district. “Across Bong County and the country, too many children are learning under trees, in crumbling classrooms, or not learning at all. If we fail to act, we are mortgaging the future of an entire generation.”
Educational experts warn that prolonged absence from school will severely affect children’s literacy and numeracy skills, with long-term consequences for Liberia’s human capital development.
Residents are appealing to Bong County authorities, the Ministry of Education, and national lawmakers to prioritize the urgent rehabilitation and proper funding of public schools.
For now, the blackboard in Gbarn-la Town remains blank, benches are broken, and dreams are put on hold. The children wait, hoping that the promise of education, enshrined in Liberia’s Constitution, will finally reach their community.
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