The Liberian Investigator, an online media outlet, has reported that the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) instituted a compulsory eight-day break for students due to financial challenges from unpaid tuition fees and delays in government allotments.
The outlet further disclosed that it gathered from sources that the break was partly due to the school’s inability to provide meals for dormitory students.
The report cited its reporter, Emmanuel Degleh, station manager of Classic Communications Incorporated (Classic FM 93.9 in Kakata City, Margibi County).
BWI was founded in 1929 during the administration of former Liberian President Charles D.B. King as a technical vocational training institute that offers skills and knowledge in various disciplines to students who have completed 9th grade with a WAEC certificate. BWI also offers senior secondary and post-secondary professional (PSPP) and degree programs in three courses: agriculture, electricity, and business.
Verification: We contacted the administration of BWI and it refuted the claims of giving students a compulsory break due to unpaid tuition, lack of meals for dormitory students, and delay over budgetary allotment.
According to William Kollie Golay, public relations officer of BWI, the eight-day break was scheduled to accommodate the 2024 National Agriculture Fair and Farmers Conference, which was hosted on the school’s campus from December 5-7, 2024, contrary to Journalist Degleh’s report.
He clarified that the break was not related to any financial or logistical issues within the institution as reported by journalists.
Mr. Golay acknowledged that citations were issued to students with outstanding registration and tuition fees before the break but emphasized that this was standard administrative procedure.
He then criticized journalist Degleh of the Liberian Investigator Newspaper for allegedly misinterpreting the situation and misleading the public by attributing the break to unpaid tuition and food shortages.
He narrated that the break, which began from December 2-9, 2024, was to enable the Ministry of Agriculture and its partners to set up the stage and build market structures (canopy) for local farmers who attended the Fair on the campus.
To further verify, we spoke with students from the institution. G.K. Prince Sumo, a junior student of the Plumbing Department, told our Margibi County Fellow that the administration told them that the break was because of the Agriculture FARE, which was hosted on their campus and lasted for three days, from Thursday to Saturday, December 5-7, 2024. The break lasted from Monday, December 2-9.
Prince further clarified that they were not given a break because of school fees as claimed by journalist Degleh in his report.
What are educators in Margibi County saying about the controversial break?
Educators in Margibi County have said BWI is a semi-autonomous agency that operates its calendars and takes advice from the Ministry of Education, stating the school administration was in no error by giving a break to the students due to the National Agriculture Fair and Farmers Conference, as it was necessary and timely.
Speaking further, Margibi County outgoing County Education Officer Stephen H. Toe Jr. lamented that it has not come to his attention that BWI gives compulsory breaks to students due to dormitory meal shortages and unpaid tuition and registration fees.
Conclusion: From the interview conducted with the BWI Public Relations Officer and Student, it is clear that the break has nothing to do with unpaid tuition or delay in government allotment to the institution as reported by Journalist Degleh.
Written by Patrick Moryor, Margibi Fellow
