Gboveh Registrar’s Office Set Ablaze

By: Jefferson Massah in Gbarnga, Bong Co.

Forum
Monrovia, Liberia

Distributed by

The Perspective
Atlanta, Georgia

Posted March 11, 2006

 

The newly renovated administrative hall of the Dolokelen Gboveh School in Gbarnga nearly burned down to ashes if the fire that started in the office of the registrar had extended to other parts of the building early Monday morning on February 28, 2006.

Reports gathered from the scene of the incident revealed that the registrar’s office was set ablaze by some senior students believed to be from the same institution who were reportedly disqualified from sitting the pending West African Examinations Council administered exams. The students were said to have been disqualified on grounds that they did not obtain the required grades prescribed by the school administration.

Documents belonging to the school were burnt to ashes as a means of destroying evidence by the alleged perpetrators who are said to be on the run.

According to information from the school, students who are to sit for the WAEC must make passing marks in all science subjects including Chemistry, Biology, Physics as well as Geography and Mathematics, but that students who failed three subjects would automatically be dropped.

It was also established that there are 140 senior students attending the school and 109 qualified while 31 were disqualified for poor academic performance. Despite the recent burning of the registrar’s office the administration of Gboveh has emphasized that it remains irreversible on the decision taken so as to serve as a deterrent for other students wanting to attend the school to academically prepare themselves before enrolling at the institution because it has fought hard to be counted amongst schools with outstanding academic records over the years. Meanwhile, the police in Gbarnga have launched a vigorous search operation for two students believed to be the ring leaders of those who reportedly burnt the registrar’s office

The chief of the Criminal Investigation Division of the Liberia National Police, Bong Detachment, Col. John Brous informed reporters that the police was acting on reports gathered on the night before the incident occurred. The two students made threatening statements at the school campus which resulted to the arson attack on the building.

The CID boss said the process of searching for those individuals might drag on because schools are now closed and students are now on vacation. “Perhaps they are now on vacation,” they added. According to information gathered from the area, the five students are attempting to enroll at Zorzor Central High School, another government institution in Lofa County, but they seem to be encountering difficulties because they don’t have documents to indicate their status. The administration of Zorzor Central High School is said to have requested them to produce all relevant documents which they are yet to produce.


© 2006: This article is copyrighted by the Forum newspaper (Monrovia, Liberia) and distributed by The Perspective (Atlanta, Georgia). All rights reserved. Forum can reached at: Forum@theperspective.org