Decisions Reversed – Help Liberia Foundation Community School Stands

We wish to use this medium and this time to inform all, especially those who are connected with the school one way or another, that all the decisions made just before the reopening of school in October, except one, have been reversed.

As you will recall, based on our decision to ensure sustainability in the operation of the school, we made the following changes this year:

1. We changed the school’s name from “Help Liberia Foundation Community School” to “Future Leaders Academy;”
2. We increased tuition and fees;
3. We changed the school uniform; and
4. We changed the motto.

We have reversed all these decisions, except number 4. We reversed the first three decisions because we later realized that we took those decisions, especially #2, without considering the fundamental reason why the school was established and, that is, to help give education to poor children whose parents cannot afford to send them to the many expensive schools in Liberia. We forgot about that very important reason why the school came into existence in the first place.

Unfortunately, when we changed the school’s name and increased the tuition and fees, our parents who could not already afford the little registration fee we had been charging them for years decided not to send their kids to the school. They decided to either keep their children at home or send them to some other family members somewhere else to live. Our decisions are depriving these poor children a great opportunity, that is, to assist them get their education through a school that was primarily established to help them go to school.

In fact, because of our decisions to increase tuition and fees, school enrollment dropped drastically this year – only less than twenty students were able to register this year. In a sense, we failed the poor kids who depend on our school to have a form of primary education.

And it hurts us to see this happen. We have seen that our decision is negatively affecting these poor kids. In a sense, we are disappointing these poor children and their parents, and we do not want it so.

More besides, in relation to the change of name, the school already has a plot of land with a deed bearing the name Help Liberia Foundation Community School. We also have a bank account with the name, Help Liberia Foundation Community School. The school is recognized by the government with the same name. in short, changing the name involves some legal complications, and we are not willing to go through those.

Therefore, we are making the following reversal decisions:

1. We are canceling “Future Leaders Academy” and going back to the old name, “Help Liberia Foundation Community School;”
2. We are canceling or reversing the tuition increment and going back to the virtually free-school arrangement that helped provide education to hundreds of poor students over the years. Parents will only be required to pay a little registration fee as was done in the past; and
3. We will return to using the old HLFCS uniform.

The new motto, “Preparing Liberia’s future today,” will be the only change that will remain.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, we wish to apologize to all those whom our decisions to change the school’s original name and charge high tuition and fees have hurt or disappointed. We are very deeply sorry! And we thank you for your patience and your understanding.

Please help us to continue to provide education to the children of the poor parents and guardians in these Liberian communities. We believe that every child, no matter how poor they or their parents may be, do deserve an education that gives them a better future. Help us achieve this goal.

We will be changing the school’s name back to Help Liberia Foundation Community School on our website, Facebook page etc., but this work may take some time to complete.