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Home » Liberia: Wettkarmouah Faith Foundation in Nimba Enrolls Young Mothers, Offers Childcare Support

Liberia: Wettkarmouah Faith Foundation in Nimba Enrolls Young Mothers, Offers Childcare Support

by lnn

While the school allows young mothers to bring their babies to class—a rare policy in the country’s educational system—Principal Joe Togbah explained that this approach is essential to ensuring girls have access to education. Photo credit: Mae Azango

BUU-YAO, Nimba – In Gbloulay, Buu-yao District 5, Nimba County, while lesson is ongoing, at the Wettkarmouah Faith Foundation of Academic Excellence, eighteen-year-old, Genevie Nanmen Gontoman, horridly rushes out of class to go and nurse her baby in the nursery at the same school she attends. 

By Mae Azango [email protected]

Unlike many teen-aged young mothers in Urban Montserrado, who usually stop school to cater to their babies at home, Genevie has the opportunity to take her eight months old baby along with her to school, take classes and nurse the baby at the same time. 

But she said the mistake of having a baby, studying, and doing other household chores, is tedious.

“When I am taking lessons in class and the baby is crying, the caretaker can come and call me to go and feed my baby. So, I want my friends to go to school before having children, because man time can’t pass. I have no time to study, so it is better for them to focus on their education”, she said.

According to Save the Children’s recent report, Liberia has an alarming high rate of teenage pregnancy. It is estimated that on average 3 in 10 Liberian girls are pregnant before the age of 18. The rate of pregnancy among adolescent girls aged 15-19 in rural areas is almost double that in urban areas 42% and 24% respectively.

Genevie lamented that she faces significant challenges as a result of the pregnancy and has learned from her mistake. She, however, urged her peers to focus their attention on their education as part of adding values to their lives.  

The Ministry of Education that once discouraged schools from enrolling pregnant girls has emphasized that no one is to be left behind in the pursuit of education and that pregnant female students must be allowed in school. 

The Communication and Public Relations Director and Public Affairs Officer of the Ministry of Education, J. Maxime Bleetahn told our correspondent via mobile that the ministry is committed to promoting inclusive education where no one will be left behind.

“I must commend that school for allowing a young mother to go back to school, while the school provides a nursery to keep the child when the mother is learning”, he said.

Commenting on the issue of support for school, Bleetahn stated that plans are underway by MoE to provide subsidy and educational materials to the school upon the return of the minister.

Accountability Lab Liberia, a Civil Society Advocacy group, Country Director Mr. Lawrence Yealue, extols the Ministry of Education for endorsing an inclusive education and urged the ministry to consider providing financial assistance to struggling institutions.

“I think this is a brilliant idea to truly not leave anyone behind, should be carefully considered. If we might as well discuss closing the gender gap, this should be carefully looked into as one of the approaches. How can two commit an act, (male and female) but one is punished and the other goes on to school? It doesn’t make sense to the logical minds. I hear the argument that those teenage-mothers are mothers and should not be placed in the same class with other innocent kids but should we let them down completely? I think no… This approach is good and should be looked into seriously considering the merits and demerits”, he said.

As for giving subsidies, he thinks subsidies should be a matter of relevance and importance and such schools fit those categories.

“The Ministry will play deaf ears to this, since this school is not a school of one politician. But this is sad to see a single Liberian struggling to serve the underprivileged, yet the Government will seem not to care? We cannot afford to continuously be politically correct to call out the Government for what it represents, Lack of care for the true education of its people”, said Yealue.

While the school accepts young mothers to bring their babies to school, which is not common in the educational system in the country, school principal Joe Togbah said this is the only way to give the girl child the opportunity for education.  

“If we do not accept the young mothers, it means we will be depriving them of education. We have women who are caretakers in the nursery to look after the babies while the mothers are in class and when the child is crying, the caretaker can call the mother to nurse the child and return to the classroom. The challenge is that the mother can miss some of the lessons to nurse the baby, but again, what can we do? Because we want to give the girl child the opportunity to be educated, said Principal Togbah

Togbah, who also serves as a teacher for three classes due to limited teaching staff, narrated that the school has 178 students who are enrolled in both nursery and junior high.

Etta Menkoah, a single mother of five and a teacher at the nursery division, said working as a nursery teacher and caretaker, is a great help to her and her kids. But said the burden is very heavy on the Proprietor, who is trying to make a difference in educating their rural children. 

“Our proprietor is doing well because he is not getting help from the government or any organization. He is a great help to this community because he has children who are orphans and are on the school scholarship program. I want the government to help and put a hand around him to run this school because it is not easy for a single man to run a school like this, she said.

The Wettkarmouah Faith Foundation of Academic Excellence Proprietor is owned by Mr. Roosevelt Forkpah, a son of the Buu-yao District. He has established the same school in three Towns including Gboulay, Dinplay and Buu-tuo.   

“My family and I are alone doing all this. I am depriving my children of education and educating children in rural Liberia. There are no text books, and no safe drinking water. We are asking the government through the Ministry of Education for more teachers and to put our teachers on government salary. We are appealing for assistance from the Nimba citizens in the USA, Monrovia and other parts to come to our aid in helping to educate their children from their county, he said.

Proprietor Forkpah said anyone wanting to be a help to educate the children of Nimba, should reach him or family on cell numbers: 0886894058, 0555378187, 0888723422.

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