HARPER, Maryland County — The long-lasting downside of Harper Demonstration College is coming to an finish, however Maryland County Superintendent Henry Cole has sparked public outrage by ordering a direct halt to ongoing renovation efforts funded by a non-public citizen.
By: Peter P. Toe, Jr., contributing author
A heated public debate has erupted in Maryland County following a controversial order from the County Superintendent, Henry Cole, halting the continuing renovation of the Harper Demonstration Junior and Senior Excessive College—an establishment that presently hosts greater than 837 college students below harmful, deteriorating situations.
For years, the Harper Demonstration Junior and Senior Excessive College has been a evident image of presidency neglect. With its roof torn off by storms, cracked partitions, and waterlogged lecture rooms, the power has left over 837 college students studying in deplorable, unsafe situations. Regardless of repeated requires assist, together with formal communication with the Ministry of Schooling, no tangible authorities motion was taken.
Hope lastly arrived this August, 2025 when Dorbor Bedell, a humanitarian and native of Maryland County, volunteered his private assets to start renovations on the broken faculty. The undertaking, greeted with overwhelming group assist, aimed to revive dignity and security to an establishment that after produced lots of Liberia’s prime public servants.
To public shock, Superintendent Henry Cole on Monday issued an official assertion on his Fb web page disapproving the continuing renovation and ordered a direct halt to all work. Based on his assertion, the renovation was initiated with out the data or approval of the county administration.
“The administration disapproves of the continuing renovation on the Demonstration Excessive College,” the assertion learn. “All work should stop instantly, and people concerned shall be held accountable if this order just isn’t complied with. That is an administrative determination, not a political one.”
Cole claimed the administration had already been securing funding from acceptable authorities authorities for the restore and that the undertaking ought to have been coordinated by official channels to make sure transparency and collaboration.
The choice has triggered a wave of criticism from throughout the county. Residents, college students, civil society leaders, and on-line commenters have blasted the Superintendent’s motion as politically motivated, tone-deaf, and dangerous to the welfare of scholars.
Even on his official Fb web page, Social media commenters have been flooded with vital feedback, with over 95 p.c of responses opposing the superintendent’s transfer.
“How will you cease somebody who’s doing what the federal government has didn’t do for 15 years?” requested a resident of Central Harper. “Youngsters are sitting in rainwater to be taught, and now that somebody helps, you name it disrespect?”
In an open letter, civil society advocate Dio Williams strongly condemned the choice, urging Superintendent Cole to rethink.
“Stopping the renovation not solely delays progress however discourages others from serving to sooner or later. Mr. Bedell’s actions have been in good religion and meant to serve the general public,” Williams wrote.
Principal Emmanuel Dennis, who has managed the varsity by its years of decay, acknowledged in an interview, “We’ve tried all we will. Our college students will not be secure, particularly within the wet season. This renovation is required now—not later.”
Neighborhood members and advocacy teams at the moment are calling on the Ministry of Schooling, lawmakers, and improvement companions to intervene swiftly and prioritize the welfare and schooling of Liberia’s subsequent technology.
Because it stands, the destiny of one in all Maryland County’s most historic academic establishments hangs within the stability, caught between bureaucratic procedures and grassroots efforts for change.
