Africa-Press – Liberia. A team of visiting US delegation focused on educational support to Liberian Schools have paid a visit to the Minister of Youth and Sports to discuss further accessibility needs of youths to expand their academic routine.
On Wednesday, April 24, Teach for All, in a discussion with Youths and Sports Minister J. Cole Bangalu directed at building a relationship with the ministry and the UP-led government, noted that they are building a network to grow a corps of leaders in Liberia and Africa through the provision of training in basic service areas.
The delegation also came along with some educational stakeholders from Ghana who are concerned with its ‘Teach For All’ program.
Teach Liberia is a leadership development program that recruits fellows, trains them, and sends them for service in schools for two years.
The organization is at the same time responsible for paying the stipend of these teachers under the program for two years following their training.
At a meeting where the delegation from Teach for All held talks with Minister J. Cole Bangalu and his corps of officials at the Ministry of Youths and Sports on Wednesday, April 24, Minister Bangalu lauded the group for the visit, noting that he saw his role to be very critical surrounding said discussion.
Minister Bangalu recorded that the last Census report noted that 75 percent of the population is youth, which means everything surrounding development should be tailored around youth development. Therefore, Bangalu said the plan of the group is great because teaching teachers is good in helping the government lay the foundation for youths who are also learning from these teachers. He emphasized the need for credits to be given to teachers whom he said are impacting knowledge into youths because they are the ones preparing a solid foundation for the youths.
“The foundation of everything is very critical,” Minister Bangalu said.
Bangalu hopes that the conversation can be modified into tangible benefits that will benefit Liberia.
According to the Minister of Youths and Sports, the program should make use of the youth centers at various county levels because not many people would like to go to the rural sector to offer service, and such an initiative would help beef up the skills and desire of many people to provide basic services at the county level.
Bangalu told the delegation that it would also be good to tap into thematic areas in which the ministry is focused. These areas, according to him, include Agriculture, Health Education and Community Service.
“A lot of young people do not have the patience to go and sit in the circular school, so, they are also focused on vocational education, in order to be able to gain employment,” Minister Bangalu added.
The Youth and Sports Minister also emphasized that the vocational aspect would be good for At-Risk Youths and that having the requisite teachers for these groups of people is of concern as well.
The delegation, headed by Teach for All Founder Wendy Kopp during the Wednesday, April 24 meeting, narrated how they have been active in Liberia for the last five years and are vigorously operating in four counties, while at the same time partnering with 25 community schools.
She envisioned an opportunity for the Ministry and Teach Liberia to work together.
Kopp said it was important to know some of the thematic areas in which the Ministry is concerned and how Teach for All, through its national body, Teach Liberia, can see if they can fit into their program.
Teach for Liberia Head Alicia-Ann Caesar, during her outline to the Minister, noted they are supporting the national service agenda to include engineering and business administration among others and the training in their targeted area search now, there are 22 fellows and an additional 25 are expected to be recruited,” Madam Caesar said.
According to her, Teach Liberia began her operation in Bomi with Seven fellows and has now extended to Montserrado, Margibi, Lofa, and Bong County with the hope of extending it to Maryland and Grand Bassa Counties.
Madam Caesar explained that the national service initiative is extremely cardinal in building Liberia’s solid education targeted for the program.
Meanwhile, Madam Caesar added that Teach Liberia is also aimed at developing a curriculum to be used in schools across Liberia.
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