Gbarpolu County – Citizens of Gbarpolu County in Western Liberia have extolled the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) for development projects undertaken in their county.
NOCAL has several, current projects in the county that are being implemented by local nongovernmental organizations. NOCAL received the funds from TGS NOPEC.
They include two units of a modern latrine – one at Bopolu Central High and other at the Gbonkuma Women Daycare School — and one unit of a four-classroom building at the Bombomma Elementary School, a maternal and child health facility in Bombomma, and a five classroom resource center in Sappimah.
NOCAL is also sponsoring a midwifery project in the county, funded by ExxonMobil.
“These projects are very, very laudable,” Gbarpolu County Superintendent Armah Sarnor told FrontPageAfrica in a recent interview.
Regarding the resource center in Sappimah, Superintendent Sarnor said the project was timely as there is a great for more investment in the education sector of the county.
There are just two high schools in the county, with a strong need for more teachers’ trainings for better results in the West African Examination Council (WAEC) exams.
“I am sure that these students are performing below the line not because they want to,” Superintendent Sarnor said.
“Circumstances have forced them to perform below the line.
“A resource center will help our students to improve their reading culture; it will help students do their research. It will help take the education system from a ‘mess’ to another level,” he added.
“We should appreciate that NOCAL could intervene.”
“Do they have reading materials? Are the teachers qualified to teach? I am sure these are things that the government of Liberia is tackling.
The government of Liberia is happy that donors have come to help put the educational system to where it should be.”
Locals are playing an active role in the construction of these facilities in Gbarpolu.
A team of staff of NOCAL—Public Education Officer Ambulah Mamey, CSR Lead Sharon George, Finance Assistant Boakai Sirleaf and Project Management Consultant Abraham Paye—recently toured projects in the county and interacted with them.
“I feel great about this project because it is very important to the young people…so that they can be part of the society,” said Marvin Sirleaf, Town Chief of Sappimah.
He is one of the builders on the resource center project, adding that he wanted to see better prepared students from the county ahead of the challenges of the future.
The resource facility is a US$51,360 project NOCAL is funding through the Kids Educational Engagement Project (KEEP).
The Liberian NGO is also initiating several other projects, including skills training for women and girls.”
“The center upon completion will train teachers, students and community people into computer literacy and economic livelihood training for 150 young girls.”
“With power to be produced by solar plates, students are expected to find the services reliable and sustainable.
“There is a great need here as with many other counties,” said Brenda Brewer Moore, the Founder of KEEP in an interview. She added: “I feel that there is even a greater need here in the county.”
“The county has been ranked very low on the education ladder. You have poor performance of the students in WAEC. “
“Even if you call a student who is in the eleventh grade and say read a sixth grader book, you will see how he or she will struggle to read.”
“We need to promote activities that encourage students, children to read, and the first step to doing that is to provide them a space where they can access books to actually read.”
Madam Moore also piled praises on NOCAL for sponsoring the resource center project as well as lauded the local authorities for their support.
“I am saying thank you for this, but I think they shouldn’t stop there.”
“There is much more that can be done,” she said.
“We’re appreciative of the support, which is going to make it possible.”
“Probably, without their help we would have taken a much longer time to do this. They helped us make it possible in the shortest period of time,” she added.
“We have not had any difficulty with the county authorities, they’re very supportive.”
