In an effort to help improve the country educational sector, the Liberian government through the Ministry of Education (MOE) with support from the World Bank, has officially launched the distribution of textbooks and teachers guide for senior secondary schools across the country.
The Improving Result in Secondary Education (IRISE) Project is being fully funded by the World Bank, in collaboration with UNICEF, USAID among others, as the program itself was held under the theme: “Show the Light, the People will Find the Way”.
Accordingly, the IRISE project seeks to ensure that both students and teachers from 10 to 12 grades at various public and private schools across the country have access to quality and adequate learning materials, as the MOE and partners have brought into the country 920,000 (nine hundred twenty thousand) textbooks and teachers guide to help enhance the learning environment.
The textbooks and teachers guide were printed in five subjects that include Mathematic, English, Physic, Biology and Chemistry.
Speaking at the official launched of the project Wednesday, September 13, 2023 at the EJS Ministerial Complex, Education Minister, Professor D. AnsuSonii asserted that they as education stakeholders may have different political interest on who they believe is best suited to lead the country, but their common interest goes beyond their individual believes, one that impacts the majority across the land and supersedes their personal goals, and that is the country educational sector which has no religious or political boundaries.
According to him, education has lots of things to teach as it is the tools that provides the foundation for national development, adding that the focus of those that lead a country determines whether or not the transition of civilization from one generation to another can be guarantee.
“I wish that those students who are climbing the ladder to what life is and has to offer can achieve their goals in a very smooth environment. We in the educational sector are the reasons for which these students will make progress in life,” he said.
Accordingly, the purpose of what they as parents and teachers should do, is to ensure that students across the country become better than they are, and nothing less than them.
He indicated that their purpose is not to make the students them, but to ensure that they become achievers and greater than they are and not follow their missteps, adding ‘when our children are less than us, than we have not fulfill the mission of life as parents or teachers and that is why God brought us before them, to provide a better pathway for them’.
Minister Sonii emphasized that what they as parents and educators do will determine what is left for the younger generation to carryon when their time comes.
“The young people own this country more than we the older folks because we have eating most of our years and they have not even started yet.”
He continues: “one of the reasons why I believe that we maintain government, and this has nothing to do with the issue of politics, it has something to do with the country that belongs to us equally and the tomorrow that we want to see, which will not happen without us guiding the younger generation”.
The MOE Boss said the textbooks are not to be sold to anyone or institution, stressing that the books will be given to every public school student, and if any of them get missing, said student will be held accountable, stating that the textbooks are station in various warehouse across the country and ready for distribution.
He then commended the World Bank and partners for their support towards the project, and assured them that the textbooks and teachers guide will be distributed to all 150 public high school students, as well as private schools library across the country.
He then cautioned the students to make good use of the materials; something he said will greatly help to improve their grades.
Making remark on behalf of the World Bank Country Manager, Madam Georgia Wallen, BentaMassaquoi commended the Ministry of Education for achieving a great milestone in the country’s educational sector and assured them of the World Bank continuous support to the people of Liberia.
The World Bank Executive asserted that the project which is intended to improve adequate access to quality senior secondary education is very important because it tries to address the most critical challenged facing the country national development, which is its human capital.
She then encouraged the Education Ministry to ensure that the various textbooks and teachers guide re made available to every school and senior high student across the country
“On behalf of the Word Bank team, I will like to congratulate the Ministry of Education for this very important milestone which is aim at improving results in secondary education project,” she said.
She continues: “there are several issues aim at improving access to learning and they include, increasing opportunities for girls to complete senior secondary education, improve the quality of teaching in senior high schools, improve the quality of teachers by providing them with learning materials and opportunities to acquire digital skills to all senior secondary schools in the country”.
According to her, the textbooks are essential for improving students learning outcome as it serve as a base for actual understanding of the learning materials.
She then encouraged the students to make good of the learning materials which will help them to score better grades.
Giving the overview of the program, the IRISE Project Coordinator, Abraham A. Kaizolu said the IRISE Project which started in 2018, is aimed at addressing the many challenges that both teacher and students faced in acquiring senior secondary education in the country.
According to him, the project seeks to ensure that they as stakeholders and educators meet the needs of both teachers and students by providing them proper learning materials at no cost to them. Macpherson C. Marbiah writes/0886442881-0777250370
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