LOCAL NEWS
GRAND KRU – Grand Kru County Education Officer Josiah Sloh Nagbe has raised alarm over the increasing number of school-age children abandoning classrooms to engage in gold mining activities across the county’s eight education districts.
Nagbe said his office has observed with “grave concern” that in nearly all education districts, children—most of them of school-going age—are regularly seen working at various gold mining sites.
By: James Myking Suah
In a letter dated April 20, 2026, addressed to County Superintendent Antoinette Wowlee Nimely, Nagbe referenced a recent stakeholders’ dialogue organized by the Ministry of Education, which highlighted widespread frustration among rural residents and school administrators over the trend.
Community members reportedly told education authorities that the situation is worsening and requires urgent collective action.
They also raised concerns that many children exposed to mining sites are becoming vulnerable to substance abuse, with some residents describing the issue as a “national emergency” due to rising youth-related deaths linked to drug use.
Nagbe reminded the Superintendent’s office that the Ministry of Education’s core mandate is to ensure unhindered access to quality, inclusive, and equitable education aimed at reducing illiteracy and strengthening national development.
He is therefore calling for a county order to prohibit underage children from engaging in gold mining activities and has urged the establishment of a joint task force involving the Ministries of Labor, Gender, Justice, and Mines and Energy to enforce the directive.
According to him, such measures would help reduce child labor in mining camps and improve school enrollment across Grand Kru County.
The County Superintendent is yet to officially respond to the communication.
