18/09/2020
The Ministry of Education, in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Friday, September 11, 2020, celebrated the gains made by the Educational Stipend Cash Transfer Program for 12th-grade students who sat the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations (WASSCE) in Liberia from August 17 to September 2, 2020.
Some 42,000 twelfth graders from across Liberia were eligible to receive the stipends of US$50 (LD10,000) to help cover their transportation costs to and from school as well as their daily food and other basic needs as they prepared for the Exams.
To date, 31,000 students have received their full stipend payments. GIveDirectly, the International NGO implementing stipend program on behalf of USAID, is working to have all qualified 12th graders paid their stipends in full.
In remarks at a program held at the Ministry of Education to mark the gains made by the stipend program, USAID/Liberia Mission Director, Sara Walter, said the Cash Transfer program was another testament to “how COVID has forced the Mission to quicken its pace and creatively adapt its programming to help Liberia effectively respond” to the many challenges posed by the disease.
“We found that 12th graders could uniquely benefit from targeted assistance as they dealt with the broad fallout from COVID-19.” She added that “the stipend program specifically sought to help the 12th graders deal with the additional challenges associated with preparing for the exams, and all the available evidence strongly suggests that we hit the mark here.”
Also speaking , Minister of Education, Professor Ansu D. Sonii, praised USAID for what he described as “a timely intervention” that could not have come at a better. “This just on time and unanticipated gift from the American people saved students as well as their parents much-needed resources which is critical in these unprecedented times.”
Students, parents, and teachers’ representatives attending the program also thanked the U.S. Government for the stipend program, which they said helped them deal some of the expenses associated with sitting the WASSCE.