Kakata, Gbarnga, Bong County – Youth Movement for Collective Action (UMOVEMENT) buttressing government’s effort recently concluded a week-long training mission of Bong and Margibi counties in Gbarnga, Bong County capital city, training over 150 teachers, principals and monitors of government-owned schools under its management in the two counties.
Speaking during a formal closing ceremony of the training in Gbarnga, Bong County where the final batch of over 40 persons was trained, the District Education Officer (DEO) of Zota District Abraham Gbellekoyah lauded UMOVEMENT and Ministry of Education for the strides to bring quality education closer to communities.
“The education sector is challenged like other sectors and it is only through collective action that we can overcome. I want to urge all parents, teachers, and administrators to take LEAP seriously and make sacrifices that are necessary so that we have a better generation” he said.
Also speaking on behalf of the participants the Principal of Johnson K. Mulbah Public School Othello Tokah urged beneficiaries of the training to make maximum use of the training opportunity being provided them by UMOVEMENT and the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education.
“The new skills that I have acquired from this training will help me run my school better in addition to making me a more effective and efficient public school administrator. I, therefore, urged my colleagues to take ownership of this knowledge and hand-on material provided by UMOVEMENT,” he said.
For her part, UMOVEMENT Education Officer Caroline L. Vah-Lord lauded the County authorities, teachers, school administrators and the government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education for supporting quality, inclusive, equitable and accessible education in the country, especially at the pre-primary and primary levels.
“We are determined and committed to ensuring that you the teachers, administrators and monitors of public schools especially in rural Liberia are built. We believe that building your capacity will enable you to deliver teaching services effectively in the classroom in line with good teacher ethics and values and become role model for students,” she said.
Enshrined in the Education Sector Plan 2010-2020 of Liberia, LEAP is a public-private partnership (PPP) for education that aims to dramatically improve learning outcomes for children. UMOVEMENT is Liberia’s only National Non-Government Organization (NGO) among six international partners of the Government of Liberia rolling out the LEAP program since 2016.
The beneficiaries of the training where drown from 15 public schools divided into three groups called clusters. Cluster-one training kickoff on November 28-29, 2019 at Weala Public School in Margibi County, followed by cluster-two from November 30 to December 1, in Kakata, the county capital city and the last cluster on December 6-7, 2019 in Gbarnga, Bong County.
The public schools that benefited from the training in Margibi County are Peter Printer Public School, Kono’s Town Public School, Konatee Town Public School, Weala Public School, Daniel Marse Public School; Special Project Public School, Valley-Ta Public School, and Marwoda Public Schools, Gwekpolosue Public School, and Wenneh’s Town Public school.
The rest are from Bong County and are as follows: Mawah Public School, Jinniepeleta Public School, Gbelekpalai Public School, Tarssah Public School, and Johnson K. Mulbah Public School.
The training covers various topics including the National Policy on Girls Education, Teacher Code of Conduct and Ethics, Building Community, and Early Childhood Development. Other topics being covered are Play-Based Learning, Reporting Writing, Engaging Children and the Principles of Positive Learning.
Founded in 2011, UMOVEMENT is a registered national non-governmental, non-political and not-for-profit organization, which strongly believes that a good education is a key to breaking the cycle of poverty and can create a better future for children and their families. The core programs of organization are Education, Health, Child Protection, Play-Based Learning, and Livelihoods.