About us
About Us.
The Webbo Rural
Teachers Training Institute (WRTTI) is located in Webbo on top of a mountain
called Neitialu. It came about from the initiative of the Liberian Government
after the colonists and indigenous war.
To avoid any one group
from occupying the vicinity, the Government of Liberia chose Neitialu as a site
to host the Teachers Training Institute. Therefore in 1961, an American
construction company started the construction of structures such as the
cafeteria, the administrative building, the academic building, the men’s
dormitory and that of the Director’s residence along with the power house. This
work was completed in 1962.
The institution (WRTTI)
started its academic activities as government own institution in August 2008 in
Kakata, Margibi County under the directorship of the late Rev. D. Klay Quie,
Sr.
Before this time,
educational activities begun when the Adventist Relief Agency (ADRA), an
educational development partner initiated a quick impact program by engaging in
short term teachers development program from 1999 to 2000.
Mr. D. Nimely Jappah then Administrative Assistant to Dr. Bedford Jones, head of the
Secondary Education at the University of Liberia’s Teachers College was
contracted by ADRA to steer the affairs of the institute in 1999 up to 2000.
Upon the demise of Director D. Nimely Jappah, the then Registrar, Mr. Aflah
Allison handled the activities of the WRTTI from 2001 to 2003 before the
appointment of Mr. Anthony Slobert in 2003. Mr. Slobert served the institution
from 2003 to 2005 after which time the mantle of leadership was taken from him
and handled to Rev. D. Klay Quie, Sr. who
was appointed as Director in 2006 and served the institution up to 2014 January
before his death in early January.
Mr. Shadrach Y. Kerl, former Coordinating Director of the RTTIs from the Ministry of
Education was asked to steer the affairs of WRTTI until the vacuum created due
to the death of Rev. Quie Was filled.
Directors Kerl
acted in this capacity from January 2014 till February 2015 when the various
directors were swapped. This MOE decision brought Mr. Patrick P. Davies to
WRTTI as Director in February 2015 to September 2018.
Mr. Martin L. Poquie,
former Director of the Zorzor Rural Teacher Training Institute (ZRTTI) took
over from Mr. Patrick P. Davies in September 2018 and is now steering the
affairs of WRTTI up to date.
During the ADRA
intervention period, Mr. Daze Bohlen served as Academic Dean while Mr. Aflah
Allison served as Registrar from 1999 to 2012 when he was reassigned to serve
the newly established WRTTI Demonstration School. Mr. Allison filled the gap
(2001 – 2003) when there was no appointed director and when the then Academic
Dean Mr. Bohlen was out in August 2008.
Mr. Joseph F. Kwekwe joined
the WRTTI family at KRTTI in Kakata City, Margibi County as Academic Dean of
the institute. He managed the affairs of the Academic Wing very well until his
demise in mid-2015. During his sojourn to Ghana, Rev. Kenneth Q. Nyepon, Sr. a
Trainer was appointed by the late Director Quie to act as Academic Dean. Rev.
Nyepon acted in this capacity for two cohorts (Cohorts V & VI).
In September 2012, Mr.
Thomas Kan Nyepan was appointed by the late Director Quie to serve as Registrar
of WRTTI while still serving as Trainer. Mr. Nyepan was appointed Academic Dean
by the then Assistant Minister for Teachers Education, Moses Blokanjay Jackson.
Upon taking office as Director of WRTTI, Deacon Davies appointed Rev. Nyepon,
Sr. to fill the vacant post of the Registrar. At the Webbo Rural Teachers
Training Institute, the implementors of the preparation of both Pre- Service
and In-Service trainees are the Trainers.
Who are the trainers and what is the nature of their work at
WRTTI?
The trainers are all
college graduates; some are holders of BA, Bsc, BBA, MA degrees. All of the
trainers were trained and they continue to enjoy staff development workshops.
The trainers are responsible for upgrading the educational achievement of those
desirous of becoming primary and elementary school teachers. The instructional
staff objective is to ensure that they impact knowledge to the learners by
providing academic instruction to the learners by engaging the trainees in
learning activities in
Foundations, Child
Development, Pedagogy, Teaching Contents and Teaching Practices.
Courses utilized in
Foundations are:
·
Introduction
to Education
·
Ethics
and Behaviorism
·
Issues
in Education
·
Reading
Comprehension
·
Writing
Effectiveness
·
Mathematical
Concepts
·
Science
Concepts
Professional courses
such as Pedagogy, Child Development, and Teaching Content which include the
following:
·
Teaching
Language Arts
·
Teaching
Science
·
Teaching
Social Studies
·
Teaching
Mathematics and Teaching Practice are taught in enhancing the professional development
of the trainees.
At every stage of the
completion of a component, the trainers prepare a teacher made test to enable
the trainees explore and exhibit what they’ve learned from the interactive
forums with their instructors. Several graded works are prepared by the
instructors to enable the learners prepare for the Basic Skills and
Comprehensive Exit Examinations before being certificated by the Ministry of
Education.
In an effort to model these men and women to effectively handle the welfare of the primary and
elementary school children, the trainers provide voluntary counseling services
to the learners. Besides, the Institute has an Education Psychosocial Counselor
to provide counseling services to the WRTTI family. Apart from performing
academic duties, the instructors provide free services to the institution by
working with the institute’s various committees in executing the extraordinary
activities and programs of the institute.
In an effort to ensure
that the trainees gain insight into the daily working activities of the various
elementary and primary schools, the Clinical Field Coordinator and teammates
assign trainees to approved catchments schools for practical field work and
trainers do full scale monitoring of the trainees. Through the initiatives of
the trainers, the trainees enjoy social interactions with the community
dwellers, the youth and other social and religious institutions.
On the part of the
Academic Department of WRTTI, the Academic Dean is fully responsible to make
sure that the academic program is not disrupted in any form. In view of this
task, the Academic Dean who is answerable to the Director, supervises the
academic activities of the institute; the trainees’ learning and social
welfare. The Dean also monitor, supervises the academic and other necessary
tasks so assign to his office. He ensures that all needs of the Academic
Department are fully supported by the Administration so as to carry out the
program’s objectives successfully.
In this light, with
the financial support of the Administration, the Academic Department gave out
Handouts to Cohort VII graduates despite the painful experience of producing
handouts in the face of severe financial constraints as there was and still is
the absence of “operational funds” due to budget shortfalls.
Challenges:
Due to insufficient instructional personnel, the Academic Dean, Registrar and the Education Psychosocial Counselor are also teaching while performing other non-teaching duties for the successful operations of the program. Because of the continuous budgetary constraints and what seems to be a perpetual absence of ‘operational funding, the Academic Deans of the RTTIs are greatly involved in the preparation of the test items of all the joint institutional exams with little involvement of all the RTTIs Test Committees as was the case when we had foreign partners financial support.
In consultation with both the trainers and the Director, the Academic Department render humane services to learners and provides a better learning environment for the trainees. As head of the Academic Department, and Deputy to the Director, the Academic Dean is involved in every aspect of the daily work of the employees. He attends to needs of guests to the institute with the advice and consent of the Director.
List of Directors
1. Mr. martin L. Poquie 2018 - Present
2. Deacon Patrick P. Davies 2015 – 2018
3. Mr. Shadrach Y. Kerl 2014 - 2015*
4. Rev. D. Klay Quie, Sr. 2006 - 2014
5. Mr. Anthony Slober 2003 - 2005
6 Mr. D. Nimely Jappa 1999 - 2000
*Acted in position
List of Academic Deans
1. Mr. Thomas Kan Nyepan 2015 - Present
2. Rev. Kenneth Q. Nyepan, Sr. 2011 – 2013*
3. Mr. Joseph F. Kwekwe 2008 - 2015
4. Mr. Daze Bohlen 1999 – 2000
*Acted in position
