Currently, Pillar Missions has two schools in Liberia. There is a school in Buchanan, about 90 miles via paved road from the capital of Monrovia, and there is a school at Po River Beach, where access is significantly more difficult.

OCEANVIEW CHRISTIAN SCHOOL
Oceanview Christian School at Buchanan occupies two buildings. The elementary building was at one time the residence of Pastor Jacob Tequah, the General Superintendent of Pillar of Fire operations in Liberia.

He gave up his home so the children could have a school building; but now, due to the growing number of students, this building is overcrowded and needs repairs. The high school building, put up during the war, still needs windows and some additional work.

At Oceanview Christian School there are over 200 students and about 20 teachers and staff. The school is well known and highly respected in the community. One reason is that last year all of the senior high students passed the standardized West African high school exam, a prerequisite for college enrollment. This major achievement for both the students and the reputation of the school was reported by Liberia’s news media. Even with crowded facilities, unfinished classrooms, and oftentimes a lack of basic textbooks, Oceanview’s students are eager to learn!

PO RIVER BEACH SCHOOL
The school at Po River Beach is about 60 miles by dirt road from Buchanan, but the road is not in good condition, and there are deep mud wallows in many places. In addition, the Cess River must be crossed in a small boat, and then there is a seven-mile walk to the location of the school!

The school consists of two buildings, with a total of six classrooms. There are almost 100 students in kindergarten through 9th grade. Faculty and staff number 10. The buildings are in fair condition, but the roofs need repair, and in some spots, replacement.

CHALLENGES
In both the Buchanan and Po River schools, access to textbooks, for both the students AND the teachers, remains a difficult problem. Educational materials are not available in Liberia or are simply too expensive to purchase. Many of the classrooms do not have desks.

Oceanview Christian School in Buchanan is looking to expand. The land at the school’s present location is not large enough for a new elementary building, but recently a 9-acre plot was located and needs to be purchased. The plan is that when a new school campus is developed, the current school buildings could be used for other educational purposes.