The_Open_Door_deel1

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Programme was introduced. Its main objective was to help members
of the community to recognize and meet their personal needs and
the needs of their respective societies or communities. In 1963
there were approximately 1,500 people receiving instruction from
100 teachers, in various parts of the country (64).
The discrepancy between the number of teachers assigned, the
number of adult students, and the number of adult students
eligible for these programmes, in combination with the
(budgetary) absence of funds to train more adult teachers,
clearly indicates that the Government's main activity in this
respect was paying lip-service to a nice-sounding objective
("adult education") which, however, it never took seriously.
The (first and only) training center for community education
workers (the "National Fundamental Education Center"),
established in 1954> never even started to work properly,
mainly because of an untrained staff.
Liberia's National Library, first established on an extremely
small scale in 1926, was re-organized in 1950. Two branches were
opened: one in Harper, Maryland County, and the other in
Sanniquellie, in the Central Province. Another re-organization
took place in 1958 but in 1963 out of a staff of ten people
employed for this institution only the Director had been trained
for his work.
Liberia's National Museum, established in 1960, was
characterized by the same handicap in 1963, having a staff of six
of whom one only was qualified for the work.
The failure of these educational activities, notably the Adult
Education Programme, are in general due to: (1) insufficiency of
funds, (2) the little money which was allocated had a great
imbalance between funds for salaries and for operation, the
former often taking as much as 85$ of the total budget, (3)
shortage of trained and competent personnel (65).
Testing and Evaluating
Before 1961 the evaluation of the students' performances was
left entirely with the teachers. Given the educational level of
most teachers, and taking all previously mentioned conditions
and factors into account it is not surprising that in 1963 the
standard of the Liberian educational system was very low. The
following may illustrate this conclusion.
In 1960 a preliminary survey examination was given to students
in the 6th and 9th grades throughout the country to determine
the average level of achievement of the elementary and junior
high schools. The result showed that only 2$ of the elementary
schools and 22$ of the junior high schools reached the passing
mark. And even the passing mark for this survey examination
had been set at 60$, i.e. 10$ marks below the passing school