THROUGH an arrangement with the Ministry of Information in Liberia, COCORIOKO will now start publishing news broadcasts from the Liberia News Agency ( LINA ) . COCORIOKO was initially set up to cover news in the Mano River Union belt of Sierra Leone and Liberia
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LIBERIA NEWS AGENCY (LINA)
Ministry of Information Building
Capitol Hill, Monrovia
Daily News broadcast
December 15, 2013
Rivercess Tops Childhood Education Gender Disparity
By Calvin Brooks
MONROVIA, Dec 15 (LINA) –Statistics from the Ministry of Education has revealed that Rivercess County has the highest gender disparity in Early Childhood Education (ECE) enrollment in Liberia.
According to the report, 54 percent of the 9,641 students engaged in early childhood education in Rivercess County are male, despite all attempts to encourage girls to enroll and remain in the classroom.
The report also indicated that Nimba and Montserrado counties have the highest enrolment of early childhood education of over 40,000 each.
The report, however, indicated that the lowest ECE enrollment is found in the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) in the capital Monrovia.
But nationally, public schools carry the bulk of ECE students with nearly 215,000 enrollments while 36,000 are found in private schools in the country.
The report also shows that over 88 percent of ECE students are over-aged, with more than 90 percent of the over-aged students coming from Sinoe, Ricercess, Grand Kru and Bong Counties, while Grand Gedeh has the lowest percentage of over-aged students in the country.
LINA CB /TSS/PTK
Pres. Sirleaf Advises Bassa To Use CDF Against Erosion
By Robert Dixon
BUCHANAN, Dec 15 (LINA) – Liberia President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has urged Grand Bassa County leaders to allot portion of their County Development Fund (CDF) to support the ongoing Costal Defense Project in Buchanan City.
Engineers from the Ministries of Land, Mines and Energy, Public Works and State for Presidential Affairs in collaboration with the U.N. Development Program (UNDP), are undertaking the Coastal Defense Project to prevent the sea erosion in the Fanti Town community on Atlantic Street in Buchannan city.
The intervention of the government is in response to pleas by Grand Bassa County citizens to save the city from being wiped away by sea erosion.
According to the Liberia News Agency, President Sirleaf made the call over the weekend when she inspected work being done in the area in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
She said while it is true that the Liberian Government was financing the project, it is also incumbent upon the county’s leadership to allot portion of their CDF to the ongoing project.
President Sirleaf pointed out that the Liberian Government was committed to carrying out similar intervention in all areas being threatened by sea erosion in the country.
The Liberian leader has, meanwhile, lauded Liberian engineers for the professional manner they were carrying out the work.
Earlier, the Minister of Lands, Mines and Energy Dr. Patrick Sendolo expressed satisfaction over the work and indicated that negotiation for the ongoing project started three years ago.
He disclosed that the work will be done in phases.
According to Minister Sendolo, the Liberian Government is spending US$1.8 million on the first phase of the project which is expected to end in February 2014.
Thereafter, he said, government will make a determination on the way forward.
LINA RD/TSS/PTK
NOCAL Official Asks Liberians To Promote Home-Made Goods
By Calvin Brooks
MONROVIA, Dec 15 (LINA) -The Chief Operating Officer of the National Oil Company of Liberia (NOCAL) has urged Liberians to promote made-in-Liberia goods to strengthen the local industries.
Cllr Althea Sherman stressed that it was important to promote home-made goods so that they can compete with imported goods on the Liberian market.
Cllr Sherman made the observation Saturday at the opening of the second Annual Liberian Arts, Craft and Culture Festival at the Monrovia City Hall.
The festival, which is being held under the theme: “Promoting Local Content Entrepreneurship in the Arts and Tourism Sectors,” was organized by the Ministry of Commerce and sponsored by the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) and the Liberia Coca Cola Bottling Company in Monrovia.
She noted that Liberia has many artifacts to offer the World but Liberians should begin to promote the works and goods of local craftsmen.
Cllr Sherman emphasized that artifacts play a major role in the tourism industry and also create jobs for rural dwellers, noting that Government and the citizenry must act to strengthen the country’s artifacts base to attract tourists.
LINA CB/TSS/PTK
More Females In Primary School In Montserrado County
By Calvin Brooks
MONROVIA, Dec15 (LINA) – An Education Ministry report shows there are more female than male students at the primary school level in Montserrado County.
The report stated that most of the female students are found in the Monrovia Consolidated School system (MCSS).
According to the report, there are 373,722 primary school students and 2,785 primary schools in Liberia, with persistent gender disparity between 3,000 to 5,000 more males than females in each grade level.
The report pointed out that more than 65,000 primary school students are found in Nimba and Montserrado Counties each, while there are a total 35,000 in the other counties.
The report also indicated that gender disparity of the students is present in counties such as Ricercess, Grand Kru, River Gee, Bong, Gbarpolu and Sinoe, where greater than 55%of primary school students are male.
LINA CB//TK
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