By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Ministry of Internal Affairs(MIA) has suspended for the rest of the year, 2025, activities related to the Poro and Sande traditional schools across the country as of April 30.
According to Internal Affairs Minister Francis Nyumalin, the decision was triggered by what he called several reports of wrongful traditional practices in the Poro and Sande traditional schools.
The decision is therefore intended to work out the wrongs surrounding the country’s culture and traditions.
The suspension on these practices is expected to remain in force from April30, 2025 up to January 2026 so that a detailed reformation process can take place across the traditional sector aimed at rebooting the respect for Liberian tradition in all communities.
Following the issuance of a strongly worded statement last week in Monrovia, Minister Nyumalin informed Liberians during the mid-week edition of a local radio morning talk show that the decision was taken in consultations with the council of chiefs and elders.
Giving background to the pronouncement, Minister Nyumalin asserted that traditional leaders and community residents in different parts of Liberia had earlier reached out to the Ministry and complained several violations of the rules governing the bush schools that instilled fear in peaceful citizens.
He said traditional leaders reported proliferations in both Poro and Sande schools that were anti-traditional to the actual intent of those schools.
He noted that some of those ant-traditional teachings now deviate from what had initially been taught in the schools that prepared men and women for a lively journey before the coming of formal education to Liberia.
“There was a proliferation of traditional schools that were not regulated to the extent that they took children between 3-5 years old to our traditional society where they should be training people, what do they understand?” he rhetorically questioned those that are involved.
He emphatically stated that forcefully taking kids who do not understand the working of the training taking place in the Poro and Sande bushes will not achieve anything when they graduate.
“They will learn nothing and these institutions are made to train our young people when the formal schools were not yet around. Whoever woman that came out of the Sande was prepared to get married because there were disciplines and training for them.”
The Minister Nyumalin lamented that the country is missing out on the real taste of traditional norms and making others see more the wrong side of the practice which is totally wrong.
According to him, during the period of this suspension, the chiefs, in consultations with other traditional leaders that understand the actual practice will continuously engage in meetings to review the standard and reinforce the regulation to restore sanity to Liberian culture.
He said going forward, Sande and Poro activities will work in line with the calendar of the Ministry of Education so that when formal school activities are ongoing, young people across the country can have the chance to go to school and learn without entering the bushes at the same time.
He added that people in the counties have started commercializing the practice to some extent so that a single town can now run a Sande and Poro Society together.
“The chiefs and elders are sick and tired of these complaints that are coming, that is why they recommended this suspension for the time stipulated,” Minister Nyumalin emphasized.