BEHWEE TOWN, Bong County – The future of education in Behwee Town remains bleak as the construction of a promised elementary school, funded with $22,500, has languished unfinished since its inception in 2019. This project was initiated under the administration of former Bong County Superintendent Esther Walker, but the lack of progress has left local children with no access to schooling facilities.
The funding for the Behwee Elementary School project was approved in 2018 during a county council session. The contract was awarded to JEAMCCO Construction Company, a local business owned by a county resident. Alongside the Behwee school project, three other developments were also assigned to JEAMCCO, including Ula Clinic and Malonkai Elementary School, each similarly budgeted at $22,500, as well as the renovation of the Bong County Superintendent Compound, which was allocated $50,000.
Regrettably, none of these projects have seen completion from 2019 to 2023, a timeline that oversaw Superintendent Walker’s term. Disappointment in the community has grown, especially for those like S. Roberto Wee, a local Community Health Volunteer, who shared the plight of children in the area. He expressed deep frustration over the ongoing lack of infrastructure, stating that since the town’s establishment in 1930, there has been no elementary school.
“There was an attempt to build a temporary school in 1992 but it was destroyed during the 1994 Liberian Civil War,” Wee recalled. As a result, school-aged children in Behwee Town are forced to travel over an hour to access education in neighboring towns.
Wee channelled the community’s pleas for action, saying former Superintendent Esther Walker did not respond to calls for completion of the school, leaving the project in a state of neglect. He urged the current administration, led by Superintendent Hawa Norris, to prioritize the completion of the school to address the educational needs of the area’s youth.
The dire situation has forced children to divert their focus towards farming and other activities rather than their education. “If this project is not completed, the chances of these children becoming future leaders are diminished,” Wee lamented.
This urgent appeal coincides with recent announcements from Superintendent Norris’s administration regarding the allocation of new funding for various developmental projects. However, questions remain over whether these new initiatives will address the longstanding educational deficiencies in Behwee Town.
As local leaders redefine developmental priorities, community members hold their breath, hopeful for the day when their children will finally have access to a proper educational facility within their own town.
