Reports emanating from Gbarpolu County say the continued shortage of government-trained teachers who are assigned to various public schools to attend classes is affecting the school system in the county.
At Kpayeakwelleh Public School located in Gou-Nwolliala Administrative District, a community with a population of over 5,000 residents is not exempted, and there are reports of growing anger amongst the residents as to the lack of teachers in their community.
The Principal of the Kpayeakwelleh Public Primary School, Mary Cooper, told a local radio that two teachers are teaching over 150 students at her school, which she claims is to the dissatisfaction of the residents, but the situation has been existing for the past three years now.
Madam Cooper told the media that despite numerous communications addressed to both District and County Chief Education Officers in the county, nothing has been done to address the situation.
She said, “We have only two government-trained teachers who are teaching over 150 students at Kpayeakwelleh Public School, and it has become a serious headache for me and the teachers.”
Cooper stated that those trained as teachers and assigned by government to the school have abandoned their assignments, despite being on the monthly payroll of the State, which does not augur well.
She added, “Because of the shortage of teachers in my school, those beginners who are tomorrow’s leaders are not getting the needed lessons because for two teachers to teach 150 students daily is difficult and stressful.”
“Kpayeakwelleh Public School is the only school in Gou-Nwollaila Administrative District which has the population of almost 6,000 residents. For two teachers to teach 150 students from ABC to 6th grade weekly and yearly is a tough duty,” Cooper noted.
About volunteer teachers, the principal noted that the residents are refusing to collect money to pay volunteers, on grounds that there are government trained and assigned teachers who are receiving monthly pay from taxpayers but do not want to attend classes.
She said, “Those residents cannot be blamed. You have government teachers trained and assigned who abandoned their assignment. What do you expect the people to say and do?”
Meanwhile, a classroom teacher at the Zwedru Multilateral High School in Grand Gedeh County wants teachers’ salaries to commensurate with their qualifications.
Amos Dahn told the media in Zwedru that teachers are abandoning assignments because of the low salary and incentives in the service, which is strenuous for most of them, and until that is solved, there will be continued teachers’ shortage in the classroom.
He, therefore, proposed for “C” Certificate holders to earn US$500, while “B” Certificate or degree holders should take home US$700 monthly.
Until that happens, Dahn believes there will continue to be teacher shortage and that will continue to affect mainly public, rather than private, schools where those who are underprivileged attend, because their parents or guardians don’t have the hand.
