By: Elijah Easter Kaykay
Saturday Town Public School in District 3A, Grand Bassa County, is currently facing severe infrastructural decay and a critical shortage of qualified teachers, raising concerns about the quality of education provided to students.
Principal I. Ofuleo Dunn reported that the school, which enrolled 143 students for the 2024/2025 academic year, is operating under conditions that hinder effective teaching and learning.
“The school building is in a deplorable state,” said Principal Dunn. “Leaking roofs, dusty floors, and insufficient furniture create unsafe and uncomfortable conditions for our children.”
The inadequate infrastructure has resulted in overcrowded classrooms, with space constraints forcing the school to combine multiple grade levels into single rooms.
Kindergarten students share one classroom; grades one through three are grouped together, as are grades four through six.
“We don’t have enough space for each student to sit comfortably,” the principal explained. “We don’t have enough chairs, so we even ask students to bring their own chairs.” These conditions hinder teaching efforts and compromise the educational experience.
Adding to the challenges is a severe shortage of qualified teachers.
Of the five educators assigned to the school, only one has a ‘C’ certificate and is on the government payroll. The remaining four have High School Certificates and serve as volunteers, highlighting a significant teacher’s gap that affects instructional quality.
Despite these difficulties, students have demonstrated resilience.
Of the 143 enrolled pupils, 126 completed the academic year successfully, including 60 boys and 66 girls. Their determination to learn persists despite the challenging circumstances.
Community members and parents are now appealing to the government, through the Ministry of Education, to take urgent action.
They are calling for the rehabilitation of the school’s infrastructure, recruitment of additional qualified teachers, and provision of essential learning materials to create a safe and conducive learning environment.
Mary Dahn, a resident of the community, stated, “We want the government to help improve the school. Our children are eager to learn, but the condition of the building is bad.”
Elder James Whornee said, “This is the only school we have for our children to learn.
We are asking the government, through our leaders—the representative and senators—to help with furniture and to employ more teachers.”
Betty Whornee, a fifth-grade student, expressed her learning difficulties: “Learning here is extremely difficult, but we cannot give up. We need help.”
Andrew Davis, also a fifth-grade student, added, “Learning here is very hard, but we will keep trying. We need a good school building and more teachers.”
As the community awaits government intervention, hopes remain high that future efforts will restore the school’s facilities and staffing levels, ensuring that children in Saturday Town and surrounding areas have access to quality, safe education.
