Careysburg Residents Demand New School Building | News

— The current one can no longer host the number of school going kids in the area. It is also not conducive for the kids

Patience T. Nimley, a concerned resident of the Careysburg district and a mother of two students who attend the Mardea Keamah Junior High Public School, is calling on the government to construct a permanent school building within the community.

Nimley, who attended the school in her youth, expressed growing frustration over the school’s closure and inadequate learning conditions, which have left her children, along with many others, without a place to learn.

“We are talking about our children’s future,” Nimley said. “If they miss out on education, it is the country that will suffer.”

She urged the government to allocate the necessary funds to secure a facility for the students and cautioned that their education remains in jeopardy.

The school’s closure has stirred unrest among parents and students alike. Nimley revealed that students took to the streets to demonstrate, aiming to capture the government’s attention and demand a solution to their school’s closure. 

She emphasized that the building the school is currently using does not belong to the government and urged authorities to make arrangements for their own facility, 

“These children should be sitting for their tests by now, but instead, they are out of school. If the government doesn’t act soon, we will protest with the students in front of the president’s office,” Nimley warned.

As an alumna of Mardea Keamah Junior High, Nimley expressed deep concern over this unprecedented issue. She also emphasized that such disruptions had never occurred in the past and warned that failure to resolve this situation could have far- reaching consequences for that district’s children.

The Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Chair, Bernard B. Vonnet, said that following the school’s closure, they reached out to the Representative of Montserrado County District #1, Rugie Yatu Barry, in whose constituency the school is located, to address the matter. They also pleaded with students to refrain from protesting. However, the students felt their voices needed to be heard, and despite initial efforts to bring them back to campus, they returned to the streets to demand action.

Representative J. Marvin Cole of Bong County District 3 intervened and spoke with the students in an effort to bring calm, but the core issue of school infrastructure remains unresolved.

Nimley and other parents in the community believe that the root of the problem lies in the lack of a government-owned school building in Careysburg. She urged the government to secure land and construct a permanent school to prevent future disruptions, even if the current rental fees are settled.

“There is ample land in Careysburg,” Nimley said. “Why can’t a portion be used to build a proper school for our children? The money spent on rent could be used for a new facility that would allow our kids to learn in peace.”

The students of Mardea Keamah Junior High also voiced their concerns, saying they protested to push the government to resolve the school’s issues. They highlighted the inadequacies in their learning environment, noting that many of them are forced to stand in class due to a lack of chairs. Their primary aim, they stressed, is to see their school reopened and operational.

“We need a decent place to learn,” one student said. “Our classrooms don’t have enough chairs, and it’s unfair. All we want is for the school to open and for us to have a better environment to study in.”

As the community of Careysburg waits for the government to take action, Nimley, the PTA, and the students are resolute in their fight for a lasting solution—one that ensures a stable and conducive learning environment for their children.