ducation is a tool for success and
knowledge. Most Liberians including
Mandingoes are now obtaining higher
achievement in education, but there is
still room for improvement for young
Mandingoes and others to advance in
academic high achievement.
The number of Mandingoes who are
academically successful has grown
remarkably over the past several
decades, but even so, other ethnics are
ahead of our {Mandingoes} ethnic group
in terms of academic achievement. One
of the reason contributing to higher
academic achievement of Americo-Liberians
and other ethnic groups is that they
receive a better early start on
education compared to our ethnic group.
Another main factor is the disparity in
the Liberia’s school system. Prior to
the Civil war, majority of Mandingoes
and others in Liberia live in the inner
city where school system lack crucial
resources such as books, libraries,
extra-curriculum academic programs, and
quality teachers, etc.
Students, who get off to a good start in
elementary school, are on track to be
high achievers in high school and are
well prepared for college. According
research by the college board from the
National Task Force on Minority High
Achievement that a very few low
achieving elementary students become
high achievers in High School. Top High
School students are more likely to do
better in college than other High School
students who are low achievers.
Unfortunately this is an important
reason why Mandingoes and other ethnic
groups are underrepresented in the area
of academic achievement.
Most teachers agreed that a student who
earned an “A” in all or most courses in
a demanding high school college
preparatory program is a very high
academic achiever. Ranking in the top
five or ten percent of one’s class is
another common way being described as a
high academic achiever. This, of
course, does not mean that a person’s
future career is predetermined by grades
or test scores. Many factors such as
motivation, perseverance, hard work and
the ability to work well with others
also apply. It is undeniable that high
academic achievement helps Mandingoes
and others gain access to good careers.
According to the College Board, in the
mid 1990s underrepresented minorities
received less than thirteen percent of
all bachelor’s degrees awarded from all
U.S Colleges and Universities, up from
about nine percent in the early 1980s.
Between 1980s and 1990s the increasing
numbers of the percentage of
underrepresented minority students who
earned bachelors and advanced degrees
depended heavily on the percentage that
graduated from high school. Our ethnic
group has made tremendous improvement in
this area, but we need more
encouragement of our youth.
High achievement is examined for two
points of views. One is educational or
academic accomplishment and the second
is professional success. Educational
accomplishment is earning a bachelor’s
graduate, or professional degree, and
professional degree, and professional
success is entering into a desirable
occupation which compensate well.
The importance of high educational
attainment plays an important role for
entry into most professional careers or
field of work which require a bachelor’s
degree as a minimum credential.
Furthermore, advanced degrees are
required for entry into many desirable
jobs, such as law and medicine. So, we
the Liberian Mandingoes community
leaders {Felmusa, Limany, Limap, MMA,
WIMAM, and other local Liberian
organization} need to put emphasis on
the demand of education for our young
people, and model ours’ educational
attainments.
Sometime Mandingoes and others
educational attainment and academic
achievement depends on socioeconomic
status. Students from low-income homes,
who do not have parents with formal
education, are much more likely to be
low achievers and much less likely to be
high achievers. Students from high
income families or whose parents hold
educational degrees have a greater
chance for high academic and education
attainment.
The cultural and religious difference
between Mandingoes and other ethnic
groups have contributed to variations in
educational and academic achievement
among these groups. There has been
concern for helping teachers change
their approach and curriculum in ways
that are more consistent with the
cultures of their students. According
to the College Board these efforts have
yield valuable findings, for example,
introducing demanding books by respected
Mandingoes authors into High School
English classes and encourage cultural
tools for success.
Researchers have also been examining
difference in culturally related
experience of students from different
racial and ethnic groups, especially in
family, community, and peer settings.
They have looked not only at students
from minority groups that are not doing
well academically, but also at students
from the majority group who are also not
doing well. This examination put an
emphasis on the parent’s involvement in
the educational and academic achievement
of their child.
In conclusion, increasing the number of
academically successful Mandingoes and
other ethnic groups is essential for the
development of future generations of
leaders in many sectors of out society.
Let us focus on the high achievement
issue, which is a powerful way to bring
attention to the reality that many
underrepresented minority students from
across the socioeconomic spectrum
encounter formidable obstacles from
poverty to lack of essential resources
in trying to reach their full academic
potential.
Author {Ali Sylla} is a Mandingo with a
Bachelor of Science Degree in Human
Service and Criminal Justice from
Springfield College in Springfield,
Massachusetts, a Master of Science
candidate at Saint Joseph’s University
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in
Criminal Justice with concentration in
Applied Behavioral Analysis.
Graduation Date May 2008. If you have
any comment{s}, please feel free to
contact me via email
solanso07@hotmail.com or
asylla@sju.edu or call 484-680-3961
