Liberia: Youth and Sports Minister Promises to Rebrand TVET Centers in Grand Kru County - FrontPageAfrica

Barclayville, Grand Kru County – Youth and Sports Minister Atty. Cornelia Kruah has announced plans to place all Technical Vocational Education Training (TVET) centers in Grand Kru County under the direct supervision of the Government of Liberia.

By J.H. Webster Clayeh -websterclayeh@frontpageafricaonline.com

Currently, TVET centers in the county operate under a special arrangement in which they receive government subsidies but are not directly supervised by the government.

According to reports, the Trehbo Vocational Institute—established in 2021 in Behweh—and Grand Kru Technical College in Barclayville are the two functional TVET institutions in the county. 

Despite being located in different areas, both institutions face significant challenges, including a lack of equipment, insufficient teaching staff, and poor learning facilities.

Speaking to a gathering of mostly young people in Barclayville, Minister Kruah said she is determined to transform opportunities for youth, which is why she has embarked on a nationwide tour.

After visiting the Trehbo Vocational Institute, the Minister emphasized that her administration intends to take a new approach to revitalizing TVET centers in Grand Kru County.

“I learned that the TVET centers have been left with the people of Grand Kru County and so anything can happens. We will transition those Centers. All of them will go under government,” Minister Kruah said.

She added: “If you want to bring about change we can’t be scare. Six month from, One year from now, when we come back, the TVET in Grand kru county will not be the same. Tvet in Grand Kru county will be on pair with all of the other TVET center across the country.”

The Minister also encouraged motorcyclists in Grand Kru County to take advantage of TVET programs to improve their future prospects.

“To the motorcyclists, you need to have TVET education to better their lives for the future,” she said.

Highlighting the urgency of youth empowerment, Minister Kruah described youth development as a national emergency, noting that Liberia has a predominantly young population. 

She warned that the country’s future depends on how effectively it manages this demographic.

“Liberia has problems and there are too many young people in this country so if we want to solve Liberia’s problems we need to solve the young people problem,” Minister Kruah said.

She further assured young people of the government’s commitment: “We will go everywhere to inform young people about the opportunity, until the young people have those opportunities we will not rest.”

Meanwhile, the head of Trehbo Vocational Institute, Jimmy G. Nah, presented a draft plan outlining the institution’s challenges to the Minister.

In response, Deputy Minister for TVET Laraamand S. Nyonton disclosed that the Ministry will assume responsibility for the school’s payroll and work to improve its facilities.

“The Ministry will take care of the payroll system of the School. The School is also suffering from equipment so we will work with you to have you get those equipment,” he said.

The Trehbo Vocational Institute, established in 2021, is expected to hold its first graduation ceremony at the end of this year. The institution currently serves six traditional communities that depend on its programs.