In an effort to rebuild education after 15 years of crisis, the Liberian School System is partnering with Howard County public schools in an agreement to be finalized Tuesday.
Monrovia, the capital of the nation in west Africa, is attempting to rebuild its institutions and chose Howard County schools as a model for the school system?s reconstruction.
“They looked to see what strong systems in the [United States] they wanted to mirror,” said Mary Schillar, manager of the Howard County Partnership Office. “It?s really an agreement to dialogue and let them learn about our curriculum.”
The partnership will promote cultural exchanges, sharing of resources and common education goals. It will also establish direct contact between Howard County schools and the administration for Monrovia?s schools.
The Monrovia delegation will be invited to tour Howard County facilities and work with the staff to understand their academic agenda, according to Daniel Johnson, president of Liberia Investment and Business Development Corporation.
As the former mayor of Monrovia, Johnson understood the city?s turmoil and encouraged his company to initiate the partnership.
“There is so much our school system and our children need since the war,” said Hester Williams, superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System. “Prior to the war we had 45 schools ? we now have 25.”
The Liberian government has budgeted for foreign travel, which could fund student and faculty exchanges once the Monrovia school system is more stabilized, according to Williams.
“We may not be able to give you what you will give us, but we can give you our culture and friendship,” she said.
The potential interaction between Liberian and American students was incentive for Howard County schools to share their resources, Schiller said. The Howard County school system has already established similar partnerships with Korea and China to promote cultural appreciation.
“We are obviously in a more global environment and anytime we can understand the pressures of anther part of the world, the better off we are,” Schiller said.
