Monrovia – Former Governor of the Central Bank of Liberia Dr. J. Mills Jones, has frowned at ongoing dialogue aimed at redirecting Liberia’s educational activities from its current status, noting it will place private school teachers in doubt of uncertainty and it is also a tactic to commercialize the sector which will affect not only private school teachers but also the ones in the public sector as well.
“I know the feelings and the concerns of teachers because my mother has spent most of her life as a teacher,” he said.
“I am a product of a private institution from primary school to my undergraduate degree. It is difficult to embark on what Liberia will look like today without private schools.”
Dr. Jones noted that teachers who are the bedrock of nation building are never given the desired appreciation and recognition.
Speaking during the launch of the National Private School Teachers Union of Liberia, he expressed fear about a serious upswing in Liberia’s illiteracy rate than it current status if government embarks on privatizing all of its public institutions across the country.
Dr. Jones who is eying the Liberian Presidency named education as an essential tool for sustained economic growth and development in any country with Liberia being no exception.
The former bank governor said education should be used as a conduit of societal change and forward movement to technological advancement, stressing the importance of transforming the educational system by improving on factors responsible for its backwardness.
He recognized strives being made by private school teachers, saying it is a national urgency.
“I am sure that a sense of urgency does not exist at the moment because this is an area where rapid sign of transformation is necessary because it is expensive and must have an option for consideration.”
The former Central Bank of Liberia Governor reminded Liberians to support a credible leadership where the effects will be seen in the shortest possible time, further characterizing education as the last thing that any country needs, especially where development is on a low pace, terming Liberia as an example.
“Ladies and gentlemen, the constitution of Liberia recognizes the importance of education and calls on the republic to ensure equal access to educational opportunities.
This means providing educational opportunities for its citizens is compulsory by the Liberian state. I believe the framers of the constitution were fully aware that our development depends on a good education system and our democracy as well”, he said.
According to him, Liberia has not met its requirement in education advancement, recounting reports that only 30 percent of schools in the country are operated by the country’s government while the remaining 70 percent are privately operated.
“The question remains, is the government meeting its responsibility on the education front? I do not think so.”
Willie N. Tokpah/[email protected]