The celebration took place on June 16 in Monrovia, Liberia. The day was celebrated under the international theme: “Education for all children in Africa: The time is now,” encompassing a holistic approach to education for all, despite race, color, creed and religion, among others.
The program, held at the ECOWAS regional radio station, brought together government representatives, a leading member of Liberia’s civil society organization and children from various educational backgrounds, including pupils from the School for the Blind. The event, which occurred in two phases, included discussions on the rule of law sector, child labor, drug abuse and sexual violence in schools. The Inspector General of the Liberia National Police (LNP), Colonel Gregory Coleman, participated in one of the discussions.
Colonel Coleman, deliberating on rule of law, specified that all citizens have equal rights under the law irrespective of their statuses in society. He emphasized that ignorance of the law excuses no one. He further mentioned the relevance of creating awareness about provisions of the law to ensure full adherence while disclosing that the Liberia National Police is collaborating with the Liberia Drug Enforcement Agency in fighting against drug abuse. He cautioned Liberian children and those in the region to avoid becoming accomplices to drug trade which leads to addiction. He added: “As you celebrate the Day of the African Child, you must prioritize your education above peer pressure as a strong recipe to becoming good leaders in the region.”
Inspector Coleman promised to work assiduously with the leadership of the Liberian Children’s Parliament and other regional youth parliaments to enhance their capacities through education on national and international instruments that promote their rights to education as a fundamental human right.
The Executive Director of NAYMOTE Partners for Democratic Development, Mr. Eddie Jarwolo, representing Civil Society challenged children to aspire towards principles of good leadership requiring transparency and accountability. He noted that accountability guarantees respectable leadership which helps address issues of corruption.
Madam Victoria Zaway, Directress for Children and Social Protection speaking on behalf of the Ministry of Gender Children and Social Protection said her ministry’s ultimate goal is to engage major stakeholders in both private and public sectors to promote children's rights to education in Liberia.
The Day of the African Child (DAC) was climaxed by a live stage performance of "The Lion King" movie with casts from Josephine Clarke Academy depicting key moral lessons such as Responsibility and Leadership Courage and Perseverance Friendship and Loyalty alongside Redemption and Forgiveness.
The Day of the African Child was instituted in 1991 by the Assembly of Heads of State and Government of OAU now AU in memory of June 16 1976 student uprising in Soweto South Africa where about 20 000 children took to streets protesting poor quality education demanding their right be taught own language DAC also raises awareness continuing need improvement provided African children
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