Grand Kru Superintendent Offers Scholarships for 30 girls at Grand Kru Technical College….As GKTC Ends 3-Days Stakeholders Meeting in Monrovia

MONROVIA – Consistent with her commitment to promote gender empowerment, Grand Kru County Superintendent, Madam Antoinette Worwelee Nimely has extended her arm of educational assistance to the Grand Kru Technical College (GKTC) in Barclayville with 30 slots of scholarships for first timers’ girls’ students.

The scholarships gesture, by Superintendent Nimely will be provided to first timers 30 females’ students and it will be offered on a first come first serve basis once they pass the Grand Kru Technical College Entrance and Placement Exams.

The first entrance was administered on the 10^th of August, 2024 and the second will be administered on the 17^th of August 2024. However, there may be a third entrance placement exams.

The Grand Kru County Superintendent is encouraging females High School graduates to take advantage of the opportunity as the scholarships is her initial assistance to support higher levels of female’s educational attainment in order to promote growth and development in Grand Kru County.

Superintendent Nimely emphasized the need to equip women with knowledge and skills through higher education so that the communities can benefit from more skills and innovative workforce.

Although, she promised to secure more funding for additional scholarships for first time male students at the GKTC as well, she, however, noted that it is important to equip women with knowledge and skills through higher education so that the communities can benefit from more skills and innovative workforce.

It is recalled that Grand Kru County Senator, Hon. Numene C. H. Bartekwa, who is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the Grand Kru Technical College, provided 50 scholarships to the both male and female students at the College during its just ended Provisional Semester.

Meanwhile, in preparation for the Grand Kru Technical College’s first Semester 2024/2025 Academic Year, the College Administration over the weekend concluded a 3-Day Stakeholders Meeting that ran between Thursday-Saturday, August 8-10, 2024 at the GKTC’s Monrovia Office, on Broad and Gurley Streets.

During the three days affairs, the Acting President of the College Prof. Dr. Josephus M. Gray, who is also Co-chair of the College Board of Trustees made a two-hour detailed report covering the eight months of his leadership, while the two Vice Presidents for Academic Affairs and Administration Mr. P. Tenenso Brohdonyen  and Mr. T. Dan Jah-Bestman presented detailed report about administrative and  academic successes and challenges.

The various Deans and Directors also briefed the stakeholders and participants about progress and challenges and made recommendations how to overcome the challenges identified.

 The meetings head under the Ad-Hoc Chairmanship Mr. Martin C. Benson, Director of Communication and Public Relations brought together the team from the College campus in Barclayville City and  others in Monrovia for the joint unique and praiseworthy academic exercise.

The official closing program was addressed by the Chairman, Grand Kru County Legislative Caucus, Senator Numene T.H Bartekwa, who is also a member of the College’s Board of Trustees  Chaired by Prof. Weade Kobbah-Boley, UL Vice President for Institutional Development, Contracts, Grants and Investment. The Board of Trustees is Co-chaired by Prof. Dr (Amb) Josephus  Moses Gray, Dean of the Amos C. Sawyer College of Social Sciences and Humanities, and Chairman of the Council of Deans of the University of Liberia. Dr. Gray is also Sharda University in India Ambassador to the Republic of Liberia and  Coordinator for West Africa.

The College was established by an Act of the National Legislature of Liberia in 2019 and officially recognised by the National Commission on Higher Education.

The college offers Associate degree in Seven Major Disciplines including Agriculture, Engineering and Technology, Business, Natural Sciences, Education, Health Sciences and Social Sciences.

It is located in Green Hill Community in Barclayville City, Grand Kru County and runs 65 sections (classrooms) for the just ended semester. It has the enrolment of 181 students and for the next semester which commences in September 2024 the school projects about 350 students for enrolment.

The school contains 32 faculty members with degrees at Bachelor, Master and doctorate levels.

 Dr. Gray’s report and Special Statement was followed by a summary briefing and a candid opinion on financial support to the College and feedback by Mr. Johnson K. Toe, Internal Auditor and Acting Comptroller of the GKTC.

 The very important stakeholders meeting of the GKTC concentrated on the up-coming First Semester and other pressing matters regarding administration, academic, finance and Services.

During the second day session, Mr. P. Tehneseo Brohdonyen, Vice President for Academic Affairs, in collaboration with Mr.  Roosevelt Nyema, Dean for Academic Affairs jointly presented report that focused on Comprehensive faculty evaluation report, Midterm and Final Exams papers of each faculty course and sector taught, general report covering academic activities, assessment of students’ performances, pending Entrance Exams, recommendation, faculty assignments, course schedule for Semester 1, 2024/2025 and others.

 Mr T. Dan Jah-Bestman, Vice President for Administration report was focused on the General evaluation of Directors and support staff, situational report of the entire College,  report regarding the entire College and the College’s facilities, draft adjusted payroll, report regarding staff attitude towards job and status of the farm, others and recommendations.

 As for Mr. Darlington N. Doe, Sr. Dean for Admission, his report focused on Admission status, status of grade report, academic performance of students overview, admission application, successes and problems of admission, others and recommendations.

The stakeholders 2^nd Day meeting also featured  Mr. James Jeh Doe, Finance Officer who presented a detailed report on funds transferred to the College in Barclayville City, funds generated from entrances, funds generated from registration, outstanding payment of registration and entrance fees, report of operational funds and petty cash and report on how operational funds are spent.

For his part, Mr. Allen Smith reported on the general situation of students’ issues and seating capacity at the GKTC.  Mr. Smith also reported on students concerns regarding learning and teaching; Students activities and participation, general condition of students learning, others and recommendations.

At the same time, Mr. Leo Davis, Director of Procurement, report covered procurement, the College’s assets registry and coding, while Ms. Garmai Kalapellee, Director of Human Resources submitted a comprehensive report as was instructed by the Acting President of the GKTC Dr. Gray while he was visiting India and she also reported on the entire Human resource role and work at the College.

Likewise, Mr. Martin C. Benson, Director of Communication and Public Relations reported on activities covering the Communication and Public Relations Department of the GKTC from January– August 2024.

 Similarly, Rev. Benjamin W. Bedell, member of the Board of Trustees and Teaching Assistance Department of Agriculture, GKTC provided his candid opinion of happenings at the GKTC’s campus in Barclayville City, Grand Kru County.

The third and final day of the Stakeholders Meeting was basically brainstorming sessions where participants were divided into three thematic working sections with focus on administration, academic and finance. The working sessions were followed by presentations from the three sections including Policies, Finance and Integrity and Quality Assurance on Teaching and Learning.

At the close of the 3-days Stakeholders meeting which was graced by Grand Kru County Senator, Hon. Numene C. H. Bartekwa, Chair of the Grand Kru Legislative Caucus, and Member of the Board of Trustees, the Acting President of the GKTC, Dr. Josephus M. Gray expressed his appreciation for the presence of Senator Bartekwe who he said is always ready to render his support to the College.

Dr. Gray also appreciated the roles of the GKTC’s Vice presidents alone with the acting Deans and Chairpersons as well as faculty members and support staff for their hard work and rightful roles played to move the institution in a positive directions.

He said, “We requested your presence here because we believe your consultation could make an impact. We met in Grand Kru and the table was set. You did a marvellous jobs and we had a successful semester that ended; a semester that brought positive news to the College. Now we will be going to the First Academic Year 2024/2025, a Semester that will be on par with all colleges and universities across the country. So, we taught it wise to bring you all together so we can all sit down as friends, brothers and sisters, administrators and professional colleagues to brainstorm; to look at what we have achieved, where we intend to go, where are had shot-comings, and how can we turn our short-comings into opportunities so that we can be able to move the forward”.

   Dr. Gray praised the professional ways the discussions were held during the 3-days meeting. He said 15 persons made presentations where they provided their candid opinions and expressed themselves freely and professionally.

He said based on the presentations, there were 181 students that ended the just ended Special Semester. The GKTC Senior official said that the enrolment exceeded the projected 50 students that were targeted.

He explained that 65 students that did not enrolled but passed the exams are standing by to enrol this semester.

Dr. Gray revealed that the 2024/2025 Entrance and Placement exam is ongoing and it is projected that not less than 200 students will register, adding  that on the overall, the projected total enrolment for 2024/2025 is up to 350 students or more,  saying, ‘so we have to be prepared’.         

He said the issues of sitting capacity for students, course schedules, as well as building of the capacity of faculty and staff need to be put in place.  

Dr. Gray then drilled the gathering through a statistical analysis based on figures that were provided during the presentations where he identified areas of successes and failures and emphasized the need to  build the capacities of faculty and staff of GKTC ahead of the up-coming 2024/2025 First Academic Semester.

In his special remarks, Grand Kru County Senator, Hon. Numene C. H. Bartekwa, Chair of the Grand Kru Legislative Caucus, and Member of the Board of Trustees, commended the Vice president for Academic Affairs and Vice President for Administration and the entire staff for being part of efforts to get the GKTC where it is moving positively.

He said the GKTC is making inroads and that people are proud of what is obtaining at the College, adding that ‘human beings need management, so if you all were not there in Barclayville, the College was not going to make the achievement it had made’.

Hon.  Bartekwa admonished the faculty and staff of the GKTC to always remind themselves that the GKTC is an institution that they have agreed to be a part of, therefore, if the good or bad happens to it, they will be responsible.

He praised the idea of the 3-days stakeholders meeting where the administration brainstormed and reviewed its activities to see where it achieved and where it failed, because, according to him, the GKTC is align with other colleges and universities in the country, therefore its students need to be academically astute to compete with other students at tertiary levels.