By Monrovia, Liberia –The “Enrollment Drive Committee” has formally been established by the Ministry of Education in partnership with partners, aimed at raising enrollment rates of school-age children across Liberia.
Minister of Education Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah commended UNICEF and other affiliated organizations for their steadfast dedication to advancing the Ministry’s goals during the formal launch event. Dr. Jallah underlined how important it is that everyone work together to address the pressing problem of low school attendance rates. Dr. Jallah emphasized the importance of the “Back to my Classroom” campaign, which is said to be a key element of the program aimed at improving school enrollment efforts in Liberia. During the event, the joint efforts of all concerned parties were praised as models of proactive and revolutionary action toward enhancing Liberia’s educational environment, representing the country’s persistent spirit of progress and unity. specifically addressing the worrying dropout rates.
Abba G. Karnga, the assistant minister for basic and secondary education and the main organizer of the campaign, stressed the urgency and vital significance of the Enrollment Drive Movement. Minister Karnga stated that the ARREST agenda and the Education Sector Plan as a whole are in line with this campaign. He presented the Enrollment Drive Movement with a three-year strategic plan, the first of which is scheduled to start in Gbarpolu, Bomi, Grand Gedeh, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, and River Gee Counties.
Minister Karnga outlined the main objectives of the campaign, which also included raising awareness of the falling rates of school enrollment, developing a sustainable plan to get all school-age children back into the classroom, putting in place a system to track children, strengthening enrollment and retention procedures in schools, communities, districts, and counties, enhancing the use of multimedia platforms to promote social and behavioral change, and spreading the word about vaccinations, birth registration, and age-appropriate enrollment.
The campaign’s objectives are to increase public awareness of the advantages of education for all stakeholders and citizens, draw attention to the falling school enrollment rate, develop a long-term plan to get all children of school age back into the classroom, put in place a tracking system, fortify enrollment and retention strategies in schools, communities, districts, and counties, enhance the use of multimedia platforms to promote social and behavioral change, and disseminate information about vaccinations, birth registration, and age-appropriate enrollment. These are but a handful of the main goals that Minister Karnga delineated.
The concerted efforts of all involved parties were hailed as emblematic of Liberia’s enduring spirit of progress and unity, serving as models of proactive and revolutionary action toward improving the country’s educational environment.
By: Alphanso G. Kalama
