Monrovia – Mr. Aloysius Toe, Secretary General of the Alternative National Congress (ANC), extolled the great importance his party’s Political Leader, Mr. Alexander Benedict Cummings (ABC), attaches to education.
Report by Alaskai Moore Johnson, [email protected]
The ANC Secretary-General was speaking Tuesday, June 25, in Monrovia when he presented a 30-KVA generator to the administration of Liberia’s first Islamic university — Annur University. Mr. Toe said that he was personally proud to carry out the hand out on behalf of his political leader who, he said has made and continues to make great contributions to the educational sector in the nation. One such example is the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) School that Mr. Cummings built in Paynesville.
Addressing the university administration, Mr. Toe said that “Building a center of higher learning is no small enterprise but it is the most worthy cause anyone can and should invest in.”
“We strongly believe that among the many causes of our conflict, the lack of education is now believed to be one of the root causes.”
He praised those who conceived the idea of establishing the nation’s first Islamic University, which he termed as the type of self-help initiative that will develop the Liberian society. “Mr. Cummings wants to praise you for setting an example. Our political leader strongly believes that we must take responsibility for our own advancement, which can only come with education.
“You can be proud of what you have accomplished on these premises in such short a time. This is an indication of your commitment to education. We saw the computer lab, the library, the soon to be completed science lab which will serve the school of nursing. For all of this, you will need constant electric power and that is why our Political Leader, Mr. Alexander B. Cummings, is personally proud to be handing you this generator,” the ANC’s SG added.
He further spoke of the significant role religious institutions have played in the nation’s education sector; adding: “The Islamic Community has many schools and a high school providing quality education to thousands of future leaders of our nation.”
Mr. Toe, also a Human Rights Lawyer, stated that ANC is proud to be associated with this project and looks forward to a strong partnership with the university. “Mr. Cummings, he said, looks forward to see the first graduates, who are going to be molded to serve the nation.”
In response, the President of Annur University, Mr. Osman A. Kamara, praised Mr. Cummings for his gesture. “This is a man who knows how to keep a promise,”Kamara said.
Kamara, who is a lecturer at the University of Liberia’s Business College, took his guests around on a tour of the facilities and informed them that the university is set to open its doors by September 2019.
The opening curriculum will cover four academic fields,include Science, Liberal Arts, Business and Arabic Language Studies.
According to Kamara, the strategic goals of ANNUR University are to provide excellence in education, research and distinctiveness in innovation.
Mr. Cummings himself had earlier visited the Annur campus on the Old Road and had promised to help the institution achieve its noble goals of educating Liberia’s youth.
Annur, which means “light” in Arabic although a faith-based higher institution, will welcome students from any background or religious belief, with a program based on the national