By Martin C. Benson

Excitement is high among students of Liberia’s Grand Kru Technical College (GKTC) as they eagerly return to classes.

Ahead of the resumption of classes for the first semester at its Greenhill Community, Barclayville City campus, the administration of GKTC conducted a well-attended new students’ orientation program on September 13 in the auditorium of the Barclayville Central High School.

Faculty and staff were available to address questions at the program.

The event focused on college life, class schedules, familiarization of new classmates, support staff and campus facilities. All students and potential students were in attendance.

GKTC, a public independent technical college which provides education in various accredited disciplines, commenced classes in May this year to empower young minds with the requisite academic skills to think critically and solve problems and to make them capable contributors to their society.

GKTC, formerly the Grand Kru Technical and Vocational Institute, has been playing a major role in the instructive culture of Barclayville, the capital of Grand Kru County in South-eastern Liberia, since it opened in 2019.

It is the only public technical college in the South-eastern region and the second in Liberia, narrowing the gap in technical areas of specialty as well as other areas limited among inhabitants in that part of the county.

The college offers two-year associate of arts and associate of science (AA, ASC) degrees in english, agriculture, engineering and computer science, business, health science and natural sciences.

GKTC approves 74-84 credit hours based on specific program load as requirement for a student to successfully complete the two-year degree programs.

Already, for the first semester of the 2024/2025 academic year, a total of 201 males and 105 females have enrolled.

The college offers 38 courses and 76 sections in six major areas: agriculture, engineering and technology, education, public health, business and public administration.

The National Commission on Higher Education has granted GKTC official accreditation to legally operate an associate degree programs in Liberia, and can be elevated to bachelors degree in the future.

In July, the college successfully ended its special provisional semester and its administration did everything possible to put structures into place ahead of the commencement of academic activities for the first semester of academic year 2024/2025.

As the first semester of academic year 2024/2025 commenced in September, GKTC acting president, Associate Prof. Dr. Josephus Moses Gray, who is also co-chair of the college’s board of trustees, brought together stakeholders for a three-day stakeholders’ meeting.

The meeting held in August saw participants brainstormed on the successes and failures of the provisional semester and on how to find a way forward. New administrative policies were adopted.

Over all, the stakeholders’ meeting established that during the GKTC’s provisional semester, the administration did a wonderful job that brought positive news to the college.

Meanwhile, Dr. Gray has made three new appointments at the college.

Those appointed were Darlington Doe, associate dean for admission; Roosevelt N. Nyema, Sr., director for schedules and monitoring, and Edward Smith, dean for students affairs.

In the meantime, several prospective students of the college said they are financially challenged and are therefore passionately appealing to members of the Grand Kru Legislative Caucus, including House Speaker J. Fonati Koffa, to help pay their registration fees.

Grand Kru County Senator Numene C. H. Bartekwa, a member of the GKTC board of trustees, provided 55 scholarships to students at during the just-ended provisional semester.

Also, it is recalled that consistent with her commitment to promote gender empowerment, Grand Kru County Superintendent Antoinette Worwelee Nimely recently extended her arm of educational assistance to the college with 30 scholarships for new female students.

Superintendent Nimely’s scholarships will be given to students on a first-come, first-served basis once they pass entrance exams.

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

She promised to secure more funding for additional scholarships for first-time male students at GKTC as well.