By: Gabriel M C Parker
Bomi County – Maher Public School, located in Senjeh District, Bomi County, is on the verge of closure due to a prolonged shortage of teachers, raising serious concerns about the future of education in the area.
The situation, according to local authorities, has left hundreds of children without access to proper schooling. In an interview with reporters, the town chief of Maher, David Kessale, disclosed that for more than two years, the school has been operating with only one female teacher who is volunteering her services.
He described the condition as dire and unsustainable, noting that it has severely affected the quality of education for children in Maher and neighboring communities.
Due to the continued lack of teaching staff, the Ministry of Education recently downgraded the school from grade six to grade three.
Chief Kessale said this reduction has significantly limited the educational opportunities available to students, many of whom previously had access to complete primary education within their community.
The downgrade has impacted not only children in Maher but also students from nearby towns and villages who once relied on the school.
Many families are now faced with the difficult choice of finding alternative schools, which are often too far away or financially out of reach. Chief Kessale described the current situation as a major setback for the community’s development.
He lamented that the government’s failure to assign trained teachers to the school is putting the future of many children at risk, as they are being denied the basic right to education. As a solution, the chief is appealing to the Government of Liberia, particularly the Ministry of Education, to urgently deploy qualified, government-paid teachers to Maher Public School.
He also called for the employment of the lone female volunteer teacher who has been holding the school together during this crisis. He stressed that immediate action is needed to restore the school to its original grade six status, which would enable the children to complete their primary education locally.
Chief Kessale warned that without swift intervention, the school may be forced to shut down entirely, leaving a generation of students behind. Meanwhile efforts to reach out to the County Education officer did not materialize up to this publication
