By Stephanie M. Duncan
KLAY, Bomi County — President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has dedicated the newly renovated Gertrude Yancy Public School in Klay District, Bomi County, describing the rehabilitation of the decades-old institution as an investment in Liberia’s future and calling on the community to protect the facility from returning to its former condition.
The renovation, an initiative of First Lady Kartumu Y. Boakai, transformed the approximately 70-year-old school into a more modern learning environment, with improved classrooms, a computer laboratory, resource center, mini clinic, kitchen, modernized toilets, running water, a basketball court, fencing, and other campus improvements.
The dedication brought together government officials, school administrators, teachers, students, parents, community leaders, alumni and partners involved in the rehabilitation project.
President Boakai commended the First Lady for spearheading the initiative, noting that the project demonstrates a commitment to education and giving back to the community.
He warned that the neglect of education could have serious consequences for Liberia’s future, stressing that the country’s development depends on producing educated, competent and responsible citizens.
“If you want to destroy a country, you don’t need missiles; you don’t need bombs. Just get the people uneducated, and that will do it for you,” President Boakai cautioned.
He emphasized that every child attending the school represents an important part of Liberia’s future and urged the community to take ownership of the renovated facility.
“Each and every one of the children that come here represent the best of Liberia,” the President said.
President Boakai also stressed that the rehabilitation should not be viewed simply as a completed construction project, urging the school and surrounding community to ensure that the facility is properly maintained.
“This is not just renovation and sitting down again to come back to the way it was. We’re moving forward,” he said, emphasizing that Liberia is “on a forward march.”
The President further pointed to education, technical and vocational training, agriculture and other skills-development programs as important pathways for preparing young Liberians for productive lives and future leadership.
For First Lady Kartumu Y. Boakai, the dedication was deeply personal.
A former student of Gertrude Yancy Public School, the First Lady recalled returning to the place where she first learned to read and write.
“Today is deeply personal to me. I did not come here solely to dedicate a school. I came back to where my own story began,” she said.
She recalled the condition of the school before the intervention, saying the rehabilitation team worked for seven intense months to restore the campus.
The project included the renovation of classrooms, auditorium and offices, restoration of ceilings and roofing, painting of the campus, construction of a new kitchen and clinic, installation of running water, modernization of toilets, construction of a basketball court, establishment of a resource center, provision of classroom chairs and desks, fencing and other improvements.
The First Lady said the project also included a hanging garden intended to expose students to practical agricultural activities.
She thanked the individuals, government officials, staff members, volunteers and partners who contributed to the rehabilitation, including those who worked beyond normal hours to ensure that the project remained on schedule.
The First Lady said the investment was not merely about physical structures, stressing that the ultimate test of the project would be what happens inside the renovated classrooms.
“Renovating buildings is the easiest thing you can do. Beneficiation is a rare assignment,” she said.
“These new walls mean nothing if the children are not learning inside them. These desks mean nothing if dreams are not being formed upon them.”
She challenged teachers to take seriously their responsibility to shape the future of the country.
“To the teachers, I say teach these children well, as though one of them will one day lead Liberia. Because one of them just may,” she said.
The First Lady also urged parents to protect their children’s education and encouraged students to take advantage of the improved learning environment.
“Read, study, dream, and never allow your present circumstances to determine the limits of your future,” she told the students.
Reflecting on her own journey from the school to the Executive Mansion, Mrs. Boakai said her experience demonstrated the transformative power of education.
“I was once a student sitting in this school. Today, by the grace of God, I return as First Lady of the Republic of Liberia. That is what education can do,” she said.
She encouraged the students to see themselves as potential future leaders, noting that among them could be Liberia’s next president, First Lady, doctor, engineer, teacher, minister or other national leader.
Meanwhile, Principal Fredrick Konneh expressed appreciation to the First Lady for the renovation, saying the transformation has provided the school with a more conducive environment for teaching and learning.
However, Konneh stressed that improved infrastructure alone would not be enough to produce the desired educational outcomes.
He called for the deployment of more qualified teachers to the institution, emphasizing the need to match the renovated facilities with competent educators who can effectively prepare students for the future.
The call underscores the need for continued government and community support beyond the physical rehabilitation of the school.
The First Lady, in her closing remarks, said the renewed Gertrude Yancy Public School should become a place where generations of Liberian children learn not only academic subjects but also discipline, character, leadership and service.
“Gertrude Yancy taught me how to read and write,” she said. “Today, I pray that this renewed Gertrude Yancy School will teach generations of Liberian children how to dream, how to lead, and how to serve.”
She formally returned the renovated institution to the people of Bomi, expressing hope that the classrooms would produce thinkers, the facilities would promote knowledge and discipline, and every child who enters the campus would understand that someone believed their future was worth investing in.
The Gertrude Yancy Public School was established in the early 1960s and was named after the wife of former Liberian Vice President Allen Yancy.
The dedication marks a significant transformation of the historic school and places renewed attention on the need to combine infrastructure investment with qualified teachers, effective learning and sustained maintenance to ensure that the facility serves generations of Liberian children.
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