By Patrick Stephen Tokpah
Several residents in Bong County have descended on Senator Prince K. Moye over what they described as his insensitivity to the plight of school-going kids in the county.
The residents wonder why Senator Moye and Bill McGill Jones, Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, will use US$3o,000 just for construction of a Youth Center in Sergeant Kollie Town (SKT) when violence storms unroofed school buildings across the County.
“As we speak, students of the Johnson K. Mulbah Elementary school are sitting in the sun to learn,” John D. Kollie, an Elder of Suakoko Town, noted.
According to Mr. Kollie, due to this embarrassment, the administration of the school is currently hosting classes on the Liberia Products Marketing Cooperation (LPMC) compound in Gbarnga.
He at the same time said students at the Margaret Kennedy Elementary and Junior High school are out of school because the school building was affected by the storm.
He further revealed that Suakoko Central High School, Liberia Refugee Repatriation Resettlement Commission (LRRRC), camp, and several buildings were also affected by the January 14, 2025 storm.
The Suakoko Elder said the thirty thousand United States Dollars that is to be used to build the Youth Center and the LR$1.5 million given to the local marketers in SKT would have been used to renovate the various schools in the County.
“In a community already grappling with unmet educational needs, this storm’s aftermath has only deepened the sense of urgency for action, but leaders of the County are not interested in the education of our children because their children are not attending these schools,” Mary Flomo, a parent of three children added.
She said under open skies, students and teachers have continued to conduct classes, braving the unpredictable weather. With no roof over their heads, they face not only the searing heat of the sun but also the constant threat of rain.
The school buildings, once a place of learning and growth, now offer little shelter or protection for school-going kids.
Many residents are increasingly concerned about the state of local schools, including the Lelekpayea Public School. At the Lelekpayea school, children often have to sit on rocks or stand in class due to a lack of furniture, further underscoring the disparity between the Senator’s priorities and the needs of students.
Furthermore, the children/students and educators at Dorothy Cooper Junior and Semi High School are under the shadow of uncertainty. The school building was badly hit by a storm in the County.
Yet the school’s struggles are emblematic of a larger issue in Bong County — one that requires not only immediate attention but a shift in priorities to ensure that the basic needs of its people are met.
Until then, the students and teachers at Dorothy Cooper will continue to endure, hoping for the change they have been promised but not yet seen.
Recently, Bong County Senator Prince Kermue Moye in collaboration with the Deputy Minister for Administration at the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, Bill McGill Jones broke grounds for the construction of a US$30,000 worth of modern multipurpose Hall to be used by the youth, women, elders, and people of Sergeant Kollie Town (SKT), Suakoko District 5.
Additionally, Bong County Senator Prince K. Moye and his wife, Nancy Moye, used the occasion to donate LR$1.5 Million to local marketers in Sergeant Kollie Town, Suakoko District 5, but the gesture has been hugely criticized by citizens.