President Joseph N. Boakai has issued a stark warning that Liberia risks undermining its future if it fails to properly educate its children, declaring that widespread lack of education can destroy a nation without the use of weapons or warfare.
Speaking Friday, August 28, 2026, in Klay, Bomi County, during the dedication ceremony of the newly renovated Gertrude Yancy Public School, President Boakai said, “If you want to destroy a country, you don’t need missiles, you don’t need bombs. Just get the people uneducated and that will do it for you.”
According to him, investment in education must go beyond renovating buildings, stressing that improved infrastructure should translate into stronger academic performance, discipline, character development and the preparation of young Liberians for leadership.
The president told the gathering that the renovated school now boasts of modern computer laboratory, improved learning facilities, a resource center and a mini-clinic designed to respond to students’ emergency medical needs while on campus.
Also, Boakai praised the First Lady, herself a former student of Gertrude Yancy Public School, for spearheading the initiative, describing the project as an example of giving back to the community and investing in Liberia’s future.
He stated, “Each and every one of the children that come here represent the best of Liberia, urging teachers, parents and administrators to ensure students receive the education and guidance necessary to become competent professionals and responsible citizens.”
The Liberian leader at the same time, warned residents against allowing the newly renovated facilities to deteriorate. “This is not just renovation and sitting down again to come back to the way it was. We’re moving forward,” Boakai declared.
Boakai said his administration remains committed to developing Liberia’s young people through formal education, Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET), agriculture and other skills-development initiatives intended to prepare them for employment, entrepreneurship and national leadership.
For First Lady Kartumu Boakai, the dedication carries deep personal significance as she returned to the school where she once studied, this time as First Lady of Liberia. “I was once a student sitting in this school. Today, by the grace of God, I return as First Lady of the Republic of Liberia. That is what education can do,” she said.
But she cautioned that new classrooms and facilities would be meaningless unless they produce educated, disciplined and responsible citizens. “These new walls mean nothing if the children are not learning inside them. These desks mean nothing if dreams are not being formed upon them,” the First Lady stressed.
She challenged teachers to recognize the potential of every child and urged students to read, study and dream beyond their present circumstances. “Teach these children as though one of them will one day lead Liberia. Because one of them just may be the next leader of Liberia,” she said.
Established in the early 1960s and named in honor of Gertrude Yancy, wife of former Liberian Vice President Allen Yancy, the public school has served generations of children in Klay and surrounding communities.
