Liberia: Varney Taylor Foundation Pays Bomi Students’ Tuition

Tubmanburg – Students in Tubmanburg, Bomi County have benefited from a tuition payment scheme implemented by the Varney Taylor Foundation (VTF)-Liberia.

The initiative began at the St. Dominic Catholic School, Bomi County Community College (BCCC), Al-Rashad Islamic and English School and Charles Henry Dewey (CH Dewey) Central High School, all in Tubmanburg.

The VTF says it is its own way of helping struggling students settled their tuition burden.

The latest beneficiaries, Al-Rashad Islamic and English School and the C. H. Dewey Central High School received their share of the cash checks of L$75,000 and L$100,000 respectively on Wednesday, January 22.

Both schools are now in their revision period as they prepare for the 2019/2020 first semester exams.

Mr. Matthew Darblo, chief executive officer (CEO) of VTF, told the administrators of Al-Rashad and CH Dewey that the funds are not scholarship donations but gestures aimed at solving the tuition payment difficulties faced by many parents and self-supported students.

“You know those students who are often put out of class because they cannot settle the payment of their fees. This money is for those students. Let them directly benefit,” Darblo, a former Mathematics instructor at the University of Liberia (UL), said.

As he further admonished them on the need to make available records of the students whose fees will be settled, Darblo also called on the students to take their lessons seriously.

“This is not about whether you are an “A” or a “B” student. It is not restricted to academic excellence but the actual need of each of you. However, take advantage of the help and do your utmost best in your lessons,” he added.

“Be fair to yourselves by ensuring that you do not harass anyone or lie to anyone in order to get money for your tuition when it has already been paid by our foundation,” Darblo emphasized, adding “Attorney Varney Blamo Taylor, who is in the chief financier of this initiative is from here (Bomi) but currently lives in the U.S. He is not a cheat and as such he will not feel happy hearing that you are cheating.”

In their respective responses, Al-Rashad Islamic and English School principal, Ibrahim M. Kenneh and C. H. Dewey principal, Kieh Wisseh, assured Mr. Darblo and his team that the students in need will directly benefit from the gesture.

“Some of the students have not even paid anything for their learning since we started this school year but out of our love and wish for them to learn, we are bearing with their parents, hoping they will pay,” Principal Kenneh said.

He expressed how happy he is that VTF has intervened.

Although C. H. Dewey is a public school, students are still required to make minimum payments but sadly, Principal Wisseh said several of them have not paid anything as of the beginning of the school year.

“Next week (beginning Monday, January 27) we will begin writing the last exams for the first semester. We were already thinking about sending a number of the students home for not settling with the registrar’s office but with your donation of this L$100,000, we will not send any of them back home,” Wisseh promised.

Students of A-Rashad and C. H. Dewey thanked Attorney Taylor, through his team in Liberia for the gesture.

Recently, the BCCC and the St. Dominic Catholic School received the checks of L$150,000 and L$100,000 for payment of needed students’ fees.

Speaking via WhatsApp, Attorney Varney Taylor said his assistance to Bomi students is non-political.

“I grew up in that county as a struggling child. I hardly ate any good meal. My parents could barely afford my tuition and as such I feel for those children who are now in the same situation I used to be in,” Taylor said.

He said he is hopeful that with his Liberian team headed by Mr. Matthew Darblo, the VTF-USA will make great impact also in the areas of agriculture, vocational training and a lot more.

Mr. Taylor is a graduate of St. Dominic Catholic School. He is a graduate of some of the US’ top universities, including the prestigious Harvard University.