By Jonathan Paye-Layleh
Faced with numerous challenges in resuming the academic year in the absence of most of the instructional materials needed for the smooth running of classroom activities, principals and teachers of Education District Number Two, in Saclepea-Mah Statutory District, in Nimba County, along with some parents, have held a series of fresher seminars to get prepared as schools reopen across the country.
Sessions were lined up to be held in key satellite towns such as Kpein, Flumpa and Duo, in the Lao, Gbannah and Zahn administrative chiefdoms, respectively.
The personality initiating the effort, Mr. Lee W. Dahn, Nimba Education District Two Officer, said the sessions were meant to start with the passing on of essential information about this academic year, after which teachers were rehearsed on the code of conduct as professional people before ethical lessons start.
Lesson planning, classroom management, teaching styles and teaching methods were part of the presentations.
“We need them to be fit to teach our children,” Mr. Dahn said of teachers.
“In order to bring back to the memory of our teachers some of the things they learned way back, we have decided to rehearse them,” he said, as he posed for photos with a cross-section of seminar attendees before the auditorium of the William VS Tubman High School in the historically- significant town of Kpein in Lao Chiefdom.
Participants braved bad weather and roads to assemble for sessions that they admitted were impactful and highly rewarding.
They expressed delights at benefitting from the gathering and wished more of such opportunities would come in the months ahead.
Mr. Paye Kwainezeh, principal of the Leegbanlah Public School in Lao Chiefdom, said the coming together afforded them to take away some of what they had forgotten as a result of changing times.
“My mind has been refreshed to return to such things as lesson planning and classroom management, “ he said, assuring that his school and teachers were going to benefit greatly from what he was taking away from the seminar.
“And I am glad that we are being refreshed about some of the things we learned four to five years ago.”
Principal Sam Kiepeeh of the host William VS Tubman High school called the seminar “a unique opportunity” that is going to prepare teachers of the newly-elevated school to meet the academic challenge there.
The Williams VS Tubman School in Kpein has become the first to gain a high school status in Lao Chiefdom and the entire Meinpea-Mah Administrative District.
During the teachers’ gathering in Kpein, a citizen of Lao chiefdom, Journalist Jonathan Paye-Layleh, went to greet them to highlight their efforts donated LD10,000 as a token to help transport participants back home.
