Due to a lack of funding to finish vital construction, there is a chance that 1,500 students that attend the Juah Sarwee Memorial Welfare Institute in Liberia, may drop out for the 2013-2014 school year. The Institute, located in the Borough of New Kru Town, is a tuition free school.
When the school was established in 2003 it began with an enrollment of 300 students and has since increased to over 1,500, with a total of 80 students per classroom. Due to the high enrollment the school and parents collaborated on a project to expand the school. However, in order for the project to be completed by September, the school needs a fund of US $30,000.
The principal of the school, Robert Teah, stated, “If we can’t raise this money, I am afraid that we will be forced to close down the school and let the children go somewhere else.”
The parents of the school have expressed their fear of what closure of the school could mean for their children. One parent stated, “If Mr. Teah closes this school, our children will go back to the streets and this will be too bad for us.”
Funding is being sought from Liberian leader Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, and Mr. Teah is also reaching out to philanthropists to assist in the funding of the construction.
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