Liberian Educator Seeks New Ideas During Visit At Osseo Area Schools

The following article was written by Osseo Schools:

Extending its education leadership to the global community, Osseo Area Schools recently welcomed Monen Duoe, Chief Education Officer of Rivercess County, Liberia, for a visit to learn about District 279 programs and operations.

During her five-week visit, funded by a local Liberian community organization, Duoe learned about curriculum, technology, support services, facility operations, and more. In Rivercess County, Duoe oversees 126 schools and 5 educational districts in a rural part of Liberia that is rebuilding after years of civil war that demolished much of the education infrastructure. 

Duoe visited 15 district schools, the Enrollment Center and visited with numerous district leaders about their respective areas of programming. As she prepared to depart for home, Duoe reflected on her experience and said she was leaving with some new ideas and goals in mind for Rivercess County.

She was particularly impressed with Osseo’s Enrollment Center, which centralizes the enrollment process for the entire district.

“I found the concept of a centralized enrollment center to be very valuable,” she said. “It would be wonderful to have all the information on all the schools in the district in one place.”

Along with her ambitions to create a similar type of enrollment process for Rivercess County, after learning about Osseo Area Schools’ Adult Basic Education program, Duoe is eager to establish a similar program in her county.

Because of the war, many people who are parents now were unable to finish their own education.

“Most adults had to drop out because of the economy or other problems created by the war,” she said. “Adult Basic Education would be a benefit to our students because it would help their parents learn how to help their children with their lessons.”

Another aspect Duoe took away from her visit at Osseo Area Schools is the need for a human resources team versus putting the entire responsibility onto a sole individual. Due to the complexity of the work, she said, it became apparent that developing a human resources department with multiple team members would be helpful.

“I learned a lot. I can see it now,” said Duoe who was excited to return home and share everything she’s learned from programming to activities in the classroom.

Upon returning to Liberia, Duoe will continue to face many challenges. The conditions of their physical facilities continue to be an issue. Due to limited space, students attend school in combined grades (for example, second and third graders are grouped together). In some cases, students attend school in shifts, where the younger students attend in the morning and the older students attend in the evening. 

Transportation presents another hurdle in Liberia, with many students required to travel by foot for several miles to get to school due to poor road conditions and lack of busing. There is no hot lunch program, so students bring food from home or purchase something from nearby vendors at lunchtime. 

While Liberia’s early childhood program was strong before the war, Duoe said it is in the process of rebounding. There is a proposal being discussed right now that stipulates all children should be enrolled at age three.

Duoe’s own passion for education is rooted in her childhood. Although her family had to move several times during the war, her parents always made sure to keep Duoe and her siblings enrolled in school. That commitment to her education along with memories of her second grade teacher who she remembers as a “very sweet lady,” are the foundation that Duoe built upon as she continued her studies, first obtaining a theology degree and later earning a master’s of education degree. Despite the challenges she and her colleagues face, Duoe is optimistic for the future of education in Liberia and particularly in Rivercess County.

“We are on the rise,” Duoe said. “We’re going to get there one day, with the right strategies and people to implement plans. We will be better than we were before the civil crisis.”

Duoe said she was grateful for the learning experience and hospitality provided by Osseo Area Schools staff and hopes they’ll be able to return the visit some day.