MONROVIA – The Administration of the Kolu Sokodolo International Academy has identified and certificated several of its students who successfully passed the just administered West African Examinations Council (WAEC) exams.
Founded in October 2019, the school is a tuition-free institution which provides educational opportunities to hundreds of kids of struggling Liberian parents.
It is located in the Smell No Taste Community in Margibi County, outside Monrovia.
All of the ten students sent to write the WAEC exams successfully passed in all subjects.
As part of efforts to recognize and encourage the students to aim higher and take their education seriously, the school’s administration on Monday, January 10, presented certificates of appreciation to the students.
Speaking during the presentation, the Principal of the school, Madam Emma M. Mabande attributed the success of the students to the efforts applied by the school authorities, teaching staffs and parents.
She noted that the students brought proud to not only them and their respective families, but also the school and administration.
“We want to bless God and we want to thank say thank you to our teachers and even the parents and the student body. We are happy and glad to certificate them today and we hope that the Kolu Sokodolo International Academy will not stop here. We pray that we will continue to work together to move this dream forward”.
For his part, the Country Director of the Kolu Sokodolo Children Foundation in Liberia, Mr. Monue Shine Gbelemah, expressed thanks and appreciation to the Chief Financiers of the school, Mr. and Mrs. Walters for seeing the need to establish the institution.
He recalled that the pair did not hesitate to ensure the construction of the school shortly after an assessment conducted unearthed that parents of vast majority of children in the community couldn’t afford to pay their fees at various private schools operating in the area.
According to him, Mr. and Mrs. Sokodolo have been very instrumental in providing educational materials, salaries for teachers, among others for the up keeping of the school.
Mr. Gbelemah pointed out that most of those attending the school are orphans who lost their parents as a result of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak in Liberia and the recent Coronavirus pandemic.
“Over 300 children were sitting in the community and not going to school. And I said to myself, to just feed these children is not all to it but what can we do for their future? We started the process and Madam Kolu Sokodolo was touched and she said we can make it happen”.
“I want to tell the CEO (Kolu Sokodolo), who I normally called Iron Lady and her husband thank you so much. This vision will not die; it will move on-no matter what comes our way or happened”.
Mr. Gbelemah disclosed that apart from running tuition free school in Margibi, the Kolu Sokodolo Children’s Foundation has also been providing assistance in cash or kind to hundreds of less fortunate Liberians in Montserrado, Grand Cape Mount, Bomi and other parts of the country.
He used this medium to call on international partners and philanthropic organizations to see reason to provide helping hands for the advancement of the foundation’s humanitarian works in Liberia.
“The children you see here today are the future leaders; we cannot do it all alone and so, we need helping hands especially for this school. Sometimes, these students will come to school and there is no food; some of them do not have uniform; we have to go the extra mile to provide for them. It is God who is helping us to go through”.
Mr. Gbelemah named educational materials including books, payment of teachers’ salaries, shoes for the students as some of the basic needs of the school.
He expressed the hope that the school will be elevated and extended to other communities following the provision of the requisite support.
He heaped praises on the students for making them and their parents proud also.
Mr. Gbelemah observed that though many people considered schools which run tuition free programs as “back yard schools”, the students of the Kolu Sokodolo International Foundation have demystified the myth and shown that the school is up to standard.
“This school is up to standard and you can’t underestimate the little beginning and we are praying that God will be able to help us. You see these children, we are very proud of them and this is why we have given them certificates to say thank you so much for the job well done”.
“If you can’t even come to our school to support the educational system, you can go to another school. There is a child in Gbarpolu, Grand Cape Mount and other places that needs to go to school; help and let them go to school because, the children are the pillars of the nation. All we can do is to come together and support and promote them”.
Also speaking, a parent of one of the students, Mr. Nathaniel Saah commended the school authorities for identifying with the students following their introduction to public test.
He described the exercise as a “good and kind gesture” that will go a long way in the lives of the beneficiaries and the country at large.
“Looking at our country economic situation-to have such a school that is tuition free-It takes the grace of God for someone to take their hard-earned money, opened a school and makes it tuition free. I want to say a very big thank you, encourage the staffs, Country Director and the CEO for their continuous support”.
He added that the students are the future leaders of Liberia, and as such, they must be accorded all of the supports if they must be successful in the future.
Mr. Saah vowed to work with the administration of the school to guarantee its elevation to another level.
“I want to congratulate the staffs of the school and the Director for devoting their time to the school and students. We are seeing progress coming and I must commend them for their efforts”, Mr. Victor Weah, acting Parents-Teachers Association (PTA) Chairman stated.
The certificated students, however, expressed thanks and appreciation to Mr. and Mrs. Sokodolo, their principal and teaching staff for molding their minds and adequately preparing them for the public test.
Meanwhile, the authorities of the school also certificated and provided cash prizes to the principal and two others, including Mr. Joe Chea and Helena K. Blapleh for the immense contributions and tireless efforts being applied to diligently mold the minds of the students.