The Ministry of Education (MOE) is tackling low school enrollment in seven of Liberia’s fifteen counties that experienced poor attendance during the 2023-2024 Academic Calendar.
Counties included in this initiative are Gbarpolu, Bomi, Grand Bassa, Rivercess, River Gee, Grand Gedeh and Sinoe respectively. To achieve this goal, the ministry has announced the launch of the National Enrolment Drive Campaign under the theme: “Back To My Classroom,” slated for Friday, August 9, 2024.
Speaking during an Information Ministry press briefing on Tuesday, August 6, 2024, Education Minister Madam Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah said the drive will be an annual event in these seven counties with plans to expand progressively to all the remaining counties.
“The campaign aims to ensure that every child in Liberia has access to educational opportunities” she said. Minister Jallah has meanwhile revealed plans to overhaul the school permitting process shortly, but the Ministry will maintain the current process in which annual operational permit fee for schools is calculated based on the tuition fee charged per student.
This fee, she revealed, shall be paid to the Department of Instruction under the leadership of the Deputy Minister of Instruction, which is the only body responsible for executing the permit process. Touching on the lack of qualified classroom teachers in Liberian schools, Minister Jallah disclosed that the ministry is set to commence a nationwide volunteer teacher and staff profiling.
She said the ministry is committed to ensuring educators in the classrooms are adequately credentialed and have the requisite skills and abilities for providing instruction and education services. The exercise will run from August 12 to 31, 2024.
According to her, the outcome of this exercise will conclude with a nationwide registry of volunteer teachers & staff across the public school system, and plans for phrase Il with regard to skill assessment will commence following the profiling exercise.
