Bahn, Nimba County — The leadership of a United States-based organization, the Union for Nimba Development and Progress (UNNIDEP) is reminding President George Manneh Weah about his promise to rebuild Bahn High School, located in Bahn City, Zoe-Geh District.
The school is in total ruin and faces collapse any moment from now if nothing is done to renovate or rebuild it. Despite its deplorable state, it is still being used by the administration and students.
In 2018, UNNIDEP decided to rebuild the school and has since gathered some ‘reasonable’ financial and material resources to begin the construction this year.
However, while on the first leg of his 2021 county tour, President Weah assured residents of Bahn that he will rebuild the school. Based on the President’s promise, the organization said it has decided to redirect its attention to other needy areas.
The group, through its Executive Director, Karneh D. Tour informed the President of its decision via a written communication.
The group described the current state of the school as a death trap as it is unsafe for both students and the administrators; and called on the President to attach urgency to the reconstruction project and make it one of the top priorities on his development agenda.
In the communication dated June 28, 2021, the group also informed the President that it wishes to present the blue print of the building to him for continuity through the Nimba County Legislative Caucus and stakeholders of Zoe-Geh District.
Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, UNNIDEP is a non-political and not-for-profit organization that was established to help citizens of Nimba County in the core areas of education, health, and Agriculture.
In 2017, the organization upgraded the computer lab of the then Nimba County Community College (now Nimba County University College).
The situation at the Bahn High School mirrors the constraints most students and school administrators endure year in and year out in most parts of rural Liberia.
Meanwhile, in line with the President’s promise, the Ministry of Education, with support from the World Bank has subsequently launched the Community Empowerment Approach (CEA) project to renovate and rehabilitate all public senior high schools across the country.
According to the Ministry, the CEA also seeks to expand some of the Junior high schools to senior high level in educational districts without a public senior secondary school through a grant for improvement of the physical environment of Senior Secondary Schools.
The Grant for Public and Community High Schools’ Renovation, Rehabilitation and Expansion was launched recently in Kakata, Margibi County.