–As Borough Teachers Association Outline Government’s Abandonment
By Taisiah K. Merfee
IPNEWS-Monrovia: The opposition Collaboration Political Parties (CPP) standard bearer Mr. Alexander B. Cummings has assured members of the Borough Teachers Association (BOTA) that his administration will breach the functioning illiterate gap in Liberia and increase teachers’ wages.
Speaking to cross session of Teachers at the New Kru Town, Town Hall Thursday, April 20, 2023 Mr. Cummings said that he has a very high vision for Liberia’s educational sector and it’s his goal to better the educational sector of the country by investing in the educational sector.
“There should be a focused priority to improve the educational sector in Liberia. The problem we have today in Liberia is that many of our citizens are Liberia functioning illiterate. Now we have to invest in Education, train teachers to get a good output because when the input is better you will have good output” Mr. Cummings stated.
Opposition CPP on Thursday, April 20 continued his citizens’ engagement tour, visiting particularly Bushrod Island of Montserrado County Electoral #16.
The tour was intended to interact with citizens to understand their plight and conditions in order to properly plan to mitigate and address the challenges they are involved with.
The opposition politician however, vowed to make access to education easy and affordable in order to enable Liberian children and citizens be properly educated to make better decisions and independent choice.
“Among my goal, vision and priority for Liberia, one of the key is education. Without education our country will not develop. We think the educational priority should focus on teachers training. Weather you teach at University level or high school, middle or primary level you have to have good trained teachers who are well paid and taken care of.”
According to him, if you want to have a good society that is educated properly, People’s should start investing in education, especially teacher training and better wages to enable good input which will led to good output.
“If you want the output to be good, you have to have good input and its teacher responsibility to do so. For us to change and fixed the educational sector of Liberia, we have to start with the teachers at all levels. We have to pay them well to attract and get the best of them. With that, children will not pay money for grand. Also, they will have control over their subject. We can change over country and change our educational sector” Mr. Cummings stated.
He said that teacher should be prepared to work because he is prepared to invest in the education which will have standard for people to meet.
Also speaking, Mrs. Theresa Cummings said that the quality of the students that Liberia has depends on the quality of teachers they have in the class room.
“We have a STEEM school and the children there are very, very smart. Liberian children are very smart and brilliant but the only problem with them is just the opportunity. We have to create opportunity to bring them up and educate them because they are smart. We also have the Cummings Africa Foundation and we are giving scholarships to Liberia. Education is the key that is going to unlock Liberia.”
She said that the teachers are very instrumental to that vision to providing the key for Liberia destiny to be unlocked.
Meanwhile, officially welcoming CPP standard bearer in District #16 the Secretary General of the Borough Teachers Association complained to Mr. Cummings of underpaid wages.
According Mr. Nyankun Togba, they are working to impact the educational sector of the country but what they are making are far below what they should make, something he described as completely disingenuous.
“I am Mr. Nyankun Togba, we are not receiving any support from national government. The government support they use to give us have been really small. When they ask us to submit our budget for operation, they can cut almost everything. We now lack stationary, like computer and printer among other and we appeal to you to help us” he stressed.
Still in New Kru Town, Mr Cummings dedicated a Ten-room Public latrine to the people of the District.
He then called on the people of the District and Township to keep the Latrine that contains two bathrooms and Eight Toilets at the Downan Community.
The CPP political leader said “Liberia is all that we the People of Liberia have and cannot afford to allow President Weah and his Men take over this country for the second time.”
One of the students from the Juah Smewee School said most of the schools in New Kru Town don’t have public library and there is a need for a public library that will make students have access to reading and research.
The students said they believe that Cummings can be a good leader in the country, they also asked him to help renovate some of the schools.
It’s is an open secret that Liberia Education sector is a challenge that need serious attention and “we hope you can help improve them if elected.”
Mrs. Iran S. Momo, speaking at the same event and who is an aspirant on the CPP ticket said this time is the time of the young people of the District and Liberia.
The students said they every need everything else to make Cummings the next President because he has a good vision for the Liberian people.
I am here to take this District and the Country to the next level in terms of development.
Mr. Alexander Benedict Cummings told the students they represent the future of Liberia and if they don’t invest in them they will not get a better Liberia.
He added that this is why they are making the case to the Liberian people.
“Everything we do we do it from our personal earnings, we know that you will not be fooled”.
Also during the tour, Mr. Cummings also visited the Beach and Waterway Project workers who had a major protest in central Monrovia.
He then encouraged them to keep the peace that very soon there will be a new President who will take care of the needs of the Liberian people and promises a new Liberia for all.
“You know as a politician and this is a lesson for young people.
What we are doing is that we practicing and to make the case to the Liberian people”
“Part of my success is I don’t have a plan B but always plan for success, all I can tell you is that let make President Weah a one-term President, the country is very hard for the common people to find food.”
