Africa-Press – Liberia. Sehwah Liberia and the Sixth Region Diaspora Caucus (SRDC), have started distributing more than 20,000 textbooks to 13 public schools in four of Liberia’s 15 counties.
The donated textbooks cover a variety of subjects, including biology, economics, accounting, and mathematics. SRDC is a US-based organization that comprises people of African descent, who were born outside of Africa.
The textbook distribution aims to advance quality education, lower the country’s illiteracy rate, build a mini-school library, boost students’ reading and comprehension, as well as improving Liberian students’ scores in the West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).
The Chinese Embassy near Monrovia also lent additional support to this project, which is also sponsored by the SRDC. According to the group, this distribution effort is a precursor to the first Liberia Pan African Library and Cultural Center Project, which is already in sight.
The founder of Sehwah, Louise Siaway, stated that: “We collaborate with the government through the Diaspora Engagement Program and the Center for National Documents and Records Agency (CNDRA) for free book distribution to 13 government schools in Montserrado, Margibi, Bong, and Nimba counties.”
She added that when it comes to reading and comprehension on a global scale, Liberian students have tremendous challenges, particularly in the rural areas, as a result, Sehwah wants to increase the reading proficiency of Liberian kids.
“Our aim is that they will match the international requirements. Liberia is about to have its first public literary. However, we do not have a modern scientific library. We also need to teach our young people at this time before the library can come to Liberia,” Siaway said. “In addition to the donation, the charity organization also provided the targeted schools with scholarships, with ten (10) students from each institution receiving awards based on merit.”
“It is anticipated that the majority of the books will be delivered to rural areas, where there are educational difficulties. The books are from grade nine to grade twelve, students are selected based on merit; subsequently, following high school, they are transferred to the college level. Our aim is to develop a workforce since training is necessary when introducing a new institution to the community,” Siaway said.
According to Siaway, the project intends to train 150 students in government schools. 50 of those students are preparing to enroll at the University of Liberia (UL). When asked about the screening procedures, she said that “the school’s management does it because they know the best among the pupils.” It may be recalled that Sehwah and SRDC jointly launched the Maisha Washington Education Foundation Scholarship in 2021 for Liberian high school students.
The program was a component of SRDC’s ongoing initiatives to create connections between the African Community on the continent and the Pan-African Diaspora. The principals of the two high schools that received donations — William V.S. Tubman and G. W. Gibson — described it as essential for developing their students’ minds.
The two administrators mentioned that this is an added advantage to the reading and writing skills of the students. Lakpoh Zawolo, Superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), described the distribution as incredible and challenged other organizations to emulate the Sahwah’s and SRDC’s example, which he believes will get Liberian students busy with their studies.
The first phase of the distribution began at the William V. S. Tubman High School and the G.W Gibson, both in Montserrado County, on July 8. The second phase is expected to kick off on July 11 at the Lango Lippaye High School in Kakata Margibi County. The project will extend to the Gobeh Public School in Gbarnga, Bong County, and climax in Nimba County, where another six schools will benefit from the gesture. Also, among the schools, the J W Pearson High school was highlighted.
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