Fendall, Louisianan – A member of the 54th National Legislature, Lawrence Morris has called for increased budgetary support to the education sector as a way of improving the sector.
Serving as Keynote Speaker Tuesday at the 99th Commencement Convocation of the Williams V.S. Tubman Teachers College of the University of Liberia, Representative Morris said the professional challenges faced by the country are enormous but they are not insurmountable.
He spoke on the theme, “Importance of Teachers’ Education to National Development.”
“While there is not much that you can do to affect the economy, you can be tough-minded and vocal about what it means to teach, because it emulates from you, how the minds of the young people will be developed in curving and shaping development and how things will improve or deteriorate,” Representative Morris said.
The college graduated 221 teachers, amongst the graduates 69 females. This is a significant increment as compare with last year’s graduation.
Morris, who represents Montserrado County District Number One, said teachers play pivotal role in the development of young people’s lives and must be empowered.
He expressed disappointment that graduates of the teachers’ are entering the profession at a time when educational authorities are striving to balance their budgets through cuts.
This, he said is a result of political play within the governing sector.
“Teachers are universally praised for finding solutions to educational problems; they are also condemned as the root causes for all of the problems with schools in Liberia,” he said.
He said the ideological battle to give befitting definition to teaching must be left with those who go through educational trainings.
Representative Morris then called on the graduates to cherish their profession as teachers, saying, “Teachers are knowledge delivery mechanism whose effectiveness will be determined primarily by how literate and civilized a society is.”
He stressed the need that educational authorities encourage young Liberians to take teaching as an intellectual journey that will transform Liberia.
The Montserrado County Lawmaker noted that teaching is a profoundly intellectual activity that shapes development in all walks of life, and as such, the need to support teaching in every society, including Liberia, cannot be overemphasized.
“The good primary teacher knows about child development and how to engage young people across a range of subjects; he or she listens to see who needs help, knows how to answer wrong questions and provide an art example or comparison to guide towards clearer thinking,” Rep. Morris averred.
Also making remarks, the Dean of the William V. S. Tubman Teachers College, Dr. Cecelia Cassell stressed that Liberia needs to invest in education.
Dr. Cassell noted that in order to achieve the Pro-Poor Agenda, the efforts of the Teachers College at the University of Liberia need to be buttressed with funding and the requisite logistics.
“Our students need to have hands-on training to practice the pedagogical skills we are impacting in them, so a fully equipped and well-functional demonstration school is needed to sustain the effort we are making,” said Dean Cassell, who is presiding over her first commencement as Dean of the College.
Dean Cassell emphasized that it is through teachers’ education that educators acquire the knowledge and skills needed to help transform the lives of citizens for the development of any nation.
He maintained that teachers, who are undergoing trainings, need to know how theory and practice are interwoven.
Also marking special remarks, University of Liberia President Dr. Ophelia Inez Weeks urged the graduates to see themselves as ambassadors charged with the responsibility of molding young children into proud citizens.