-A Year After Rainstorm Destroyed a Public School in Nimba
By Shallon S. Gonlor
shallonsgonlor@gmail.com
NIMBA COUNTY, Liberia — More than 200 schoolchildren from kindergarten through Grade 6 are forced to learn in a single classroom at the Dahnlorpa Community Public School in Sanniquellie, Nimba County, after a rainstorm severely damaged the school building more than a year ago.
The rainstorm, which struck the school on May 7, 2025, reportedly ripped off much of the building’s roof, leaving seven of the school’s eight classrooms unusable and forcing students to share one partially damaged classroom under what school authorities describe as unsafe and overcrowded conditions. The situation has persisted despite repeated appeals by the school administration and community stakeholders to education authorities and local officials for intervention.
The school building, constructed in 2003 by members of the Dahnlorpa Community and subsequently turned over to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education, has eight classrooms and an office. It serves students from kindergarten through Grade 6.
Speaking to WomenVoices on Tuesday, September 29, 2026, at the school campus, Principal Francis N. Nyewon said the rainstorm struck while classes were still in session during the 2024/2025 academic year.
According to Nyewon, the storm destroyed the school building’s roof, rendering most classrooms unusable. He said the administration has since been appealing to the relevant education authorities, including the Nimba County Education Office, but the school has yet to receive the needed intervention.
“All our students, when they come, they can go back home because almost 200 students go in one class, from ABC to Grade 6,” Nyewon said.
He explained that because public education is tuition-free, enrollment has continued to increase, making the overcrowded learning environment even more difficult for students and teachers. “This academic school is free of charge, so you can see the parents sending their children to school. The students too are coming in bulk, but the one-classroom condition is not necessary,” he said.
Nyewon said the school’s stakeholders, including the Parents and Teachers Association, have also written the Nimba County Administration, the Representative of Nimba County Electoral District #2 and other education stakeholders, seeking urgent assistance.
However, he said their requests have so far yielded no concrete intervention.
The principal said approximately 200 students now report to school each day but are forced to share the same classroom due to the lack of functional classrooms. He said the difficult learning conditions are discouraging some students, with some reportedly returning home after arriving at school because of the lack of adequate space.
The school currently has government-paid classroom teachers, along with one volunteer teacher, according to Nyewon.
He expressed concern that the deteriorating condition of the school building poses a serious safety risk to both students and teachers. According to him, portions of the damaged structure remain unstable, while the classroom currently being used could also be vulnerable to further damage if another heavy rainstorm strikes.
Nyewon is appealing to the Ministry of Education and other relevant authorities to urgently rehabilitate the school and provide a safe learning environment for the children.
“I am still crying on the Ministry of Education to come to our aid and intervene promptly. If at all they can’t come promptly to help, that means they are denying us, denying our youth, our children, our future generation the opportunity to get a better education because of the lack of a learning facility and a safe environment,” he said.
The situation at Dahnlorpa Community Public School highlights the challenges faced by students and educators when public school infrastructure is damaged without timely rehabilitation, leaving children to continue their education under overcrowded and potentially unsafe conditions.
NAA WOLUBAH, a classroom teacher at the school, also lamented the difficult conditions she faces while teaching hundreds of students in a single classroom. “We have joint classes, and now all the students are in one place. We are teaching them ABC lessons as well as grade-level lessons at the same time. The children are not really learning because all of them are together. There is no proper understanding,” Wolubah said.
MICHAEL PAYE YARKPAH, Chairperson of the Parents and Teachers Association (PTA), expressed deep frustration over what he described as delays by the relevant education authorities in responding to repeated appeals from the Dahnlorpa Community Public School.
Yarkpah said the deteriorating condition of the school was particularly troubling because the facility was originally constructed as a community initiative before being turned over to the Government of Liberia and subsequently recognized as a public school. “When you look at Dahnlorpa Public School, this is a place where, especially during election seasons, people come and make important decisions. If you see the condition of this school today, it is a shame,” Yakpeh said.
He explained that the school was built in 2003 by community members using local materials, with the intention of providing children in the area with access to education. Although the facility was later turned over to the government, he said the community-built structure remains the primary facility serving the students.
Yarkpah said the situation has become more concerning because public and private schools across Sanniquellie City are already overcrowded, leaving students at Dahnlorpa Community with limited alternatives following the destruction of most of their classrooms.
“Because of our appetite for education and our desire for our young people and children to be educated and to benefit from the free and compulsory primary education provided by the government, we are still at a disadvantage. Where do our children go to school?” he asked.
He warned that continued delays in rehabilitating or reconstructing the school could have serious consequences for the education of children in the community.
“If the government does not come in quickly to intervene, the future of these children will be at stake,” Yarkpah said. According to him, the PTA immediately notified the relevant authorities following the May 2025 rainstorm that damaged the school, including the disaster management authorities through the Nimba County’s disaster coordinator.
However, he said the community has yet to receive concrete assistance. “We informed the authorities immediately by communicating with them and informing them about the natural disaster that hit us here. We even informed the Disaster Commission through the disaster coordinator of Nimba County, but up to this time, we have seen no intervention at all. So, we are speaking with frustration,” he said.
Yarkpah said the Nimba County Education Office, County Administration and Nimba County Electoral District #2 Representative are all aware of the situation. He said the district representative was also invited to visit the school campus, but no intervention has been made.
With the 2026/2027 academic year having begun on September 7, Yarkpah said the school has been forced to combine classes because there are no adequate classrooms to accommodate the students. “We are obliged to keep the children under the same structure and put classes together because there is no other way to accommodate them. As a result, we have many children who are even sitting at home without going to school,” he said.
The PTA chairperson called on the national government, through the Nimba County Administration and education authorities, to urgently intervene so that children in Dahnlorpa Community can fully benefit from Liberia’s free and compulsory primary education policy. “We are disappointed. This is the same campus where many national decisions have been made. I am frustrated over the delay by the relevant authorities not coming in to intervene,” Yarpah said.
Yarkpah, however, said the PTA had received assurances from the Nimba County Superintendent, Madam Kou Meapeh Gono that the school would be reconstructed rather than merely renovated. He said discussed with Superintendent Gono, who reportedly told him that the extent of the damage was too severe for simple renovation and that the facility needed to be reconstructed.
MELVIN Z. TOKPAH, a parent and senior member of the Dahnlorpa Community, said residents remain worried and heartbroken over the condition of the school, which has remained damaged since May 7, 2025, without substantial intervention from national leaders or relevant education authorities.
Tokpah said the prolonged delay has forced some parents to send their children to other schools, while others have stopped attending altogether because of the poor and hazardous learning conditions at Dahnlorpa Community Public School. “It has been our worry. We still don’t know what the government is doing about it, but it has been very sad since May 7 of last year up to now. Nothing has been done, yet school is in progress. We don’t know how the government is thinking about this school,” Tokpah said.
Tokpah warned that continued delays could expose the already-damaged facility to further deterioration, particularly during heavy rainfall.
“If the government does not come to our aid within the next one or two months, another heavy rainstorm could cause another disaster. You cannot combine ABC, grades 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 together in one classroom and expect good education,” he said.
Describing the situation as deplorable, Tokpah said the current learning environment is not conducive to effective teaching and learning and could negatively affect students’ academic performance. “The school is in a deplorable condition. It is not a good environment for learning, and if things continue this way until the end of the school year, there will be no good results,” Tokpah said.
