By: Patrick Waylor,Nimba D-9 TV Lower Nimba County Reporter

Zekepa, Nimba County Liberia: – Zekepa is the political headquarters of Nimba County Electoral District Nine once named by Liberia’s Former President Madame Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf as Liberia’s Proposed Capital City because of its geographical location. Zekepa is centrally located.

Prof. Johnson N. Gwaikolo was overwhelmingly elected in October 2017 by citizens of the district as their Representative, seat he still occurred and has been petitioned in several different ways by many different sectors and personalities to re-contest, requests he has since honored.

Nimba County Electoral District Nine comprised of five (5) Administrative Districts (Blinlon, Doe, Gbi&Doru, Mehnsonnoh & Zehnla) with approximately 79 towns, one health center, at least nine government clinics including several public schools and few private schools, one semi high school and two full high schools (Zekeh Memorial High School & Varmie Memorial High School in Graire).

Zekeh Memorial High school like many other schools across the nation continues to experience academic challenges ranging from low budgetary allocations for schools operations coupled with some traditional practices and lacked will and way by some schoolgoers have highly pressured this one-time booming institution that provided quality education to many including now Representative Prof. Johnson N. Gwaikolo including others.

The school is named after the late Zekeh who was a traditional warrior back in the day.

Mr. Micheals Goeyee, Yarwin Mehnsonnoh Education District Education Officer told Nimba D-9 TV, ‘’we are happy to have been assigned in our own district and the place we started our foundation. Though the challenges are more we are collectively doing all we can in restoring the very quality education provided for us here back in the days’’.

Many of our teachers have retired because of government policy regarding age but we are grateful to Prof. Hon Johnson N. Gwaikolo who is paying some of the volunteer teachers who are all BSc degree holders as we peruse for them to be placed on the government payroll. Their being here has added value to the school system and has made us to restored operations as a full high school here at Zekeh Memorial. Our grade ninth students continue to perform well in the national examinations and our challenge was grade 12^th, but I can assure all as District Education Officer that, we have fully elevated Zekeh Memorial to full High School because of the level of support and very qualified BSc holders who have joined the teaching staff. We equally want to appreciate our hard-working County Education Officer and our Minister of Education for their support respectively.

Thanks to World Bank that helped to renovate both campuses (Zekeh Memorial High School, Peter Z. Gwaikolo Elementary School including Mehnla Weh-Dorliea Public School). The learning environment has to be friendly and we are very excited and appreciative about the completion of these projects in time before the official opening of schools.

As you see, we are conducting refresher training not only for Zekeh Memorial High School teachers but for all the teachers across this Education District.

Finally, we are grateful to The One Nimba House Media Inc which owns and operates Nimba D-9 TV including other services that continue to source for ways and means in drawing the world including other organizations attention not just to the education sector but all other sectors of this district and the county at large. Thanks also to Women Empowerment Forum Liberia which is also helping with Girls’ education and the Spotlight Initiative Project as a way of helping to minimize Sexual Gender Based Violence (SGBV) and other Harmful Traditional Practices (HTPs) something which is greatly reducing the population of our schools. We equally acknowledged the donation of chalks and dusters by Liberia Research Development Networks (LRDN) which came in when we needed them the most. We are forever grateful and will encourage Nimba D-9 TV to keep directing more donors and organizations’ attention as a way of helping us build a resilient education sector of this district.

We are calling on all former students of this institution to help us serve as we will be launching an auditorium project to which we will invite all.

For her part, Registrar Mrs. Mercy Mehin Davis also a Former Student of the institution acknowledged Prof. Johnson N. Gwaikolo’s goodwill and gestured by proving full scholarships to all students wishing to attend Zekeh Memorial High School from 10-12grade who lacked fees.

 “This has increased our enrollment and we are very happy that the lawmaker accepted to have offered this huge educational support. Prof. Johnson N. Gwaikolo is truly a leader because education is a gift that prepares and gives each person the space for successful life journeys. So we are grateful to him including all other NGOs that are doing the same for the growth of this nation. We are equally calling on everyone to get involved because this is the only way we will have a very decent society’’ Stressed, Mrs. Mercy Mehin Davis

In a separate interview, Prof. Johnson N. Gwaikolo who served as Chairman of the House’s Committee on Education though now Chair of Rules, Order & Administration acknowledged the challenges of the education sector which is not only limited to Nimba County Electoral District Nine but said there is still hope as we continue to peruse the will and way for betterment. Some of the ways is what our leadership has done in providing educational support and upgrading, for example, the Varmie High School in Doe Administrative District which we attended their first commencement months back, The Nimba University,  providing local and foreign support for our sons and daughters in preparing them for all of us tomorrow. We are excited and pleased about that.

We highly appreciate Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe including his sisters and brother for the construction of The Late Teacher Wilfred Gongloe Resource Center in Gleyee-Zorpiea and with the Library construction ongoing in Mehnla, the Geapea and Gorkorpa Public Schools which constructions are ongoing in Blinlon amongst others, we will see a great positive turn around for our education system. We are grateful and committed to doing more for the citizens with their continued support.

We are calling on all to join us as we have always said in helping to develop our district. We are happy that this message is reaching out to all positively as seen with the many different self-help community initiatives across the district.

Let us announced some of the positive results though there are many but with this in our reached. Zekeh Memorial Choir Directress Annett N. Cooper received an Award from Liberia Research Development Networks (LRDN) headed by John S. M. Yormie Jr in the singing category and she came over to present her award to us. We are happy that our students will come out and preformed to the best in getting an Award. ‘’ We are pleased to received you here today Annett and will say thanks for putting Zekeh Memorial High School on the map. Continue your good works as more is yet to come. We are also asking all our students to keep pushing for excellence” Said Prof. Gwaikolo  

We want to appreciate all our volunteer teachers for their hard work. Like we have always said and will say again, please teach what you know and know what you teach.