Protest by students of Liberia’s most popular high school, the William V.S. Tubman High School, backed by other public high schools under the umbrella of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), intensified in the major streets of Monrovia with several of the protesting students teargassed.
The protest, which began Monday, March 24, 2025, entered its second day running with students in dominant maroon and white uniforms blocking the main roads near the Capitol Building –the seat of the Liberian Legislature and the official seat of the Presidency, the Executive Mansion.
As claimed by the students, who continued to troop in their numbers with different slogans, they have grown with frustration due to the lack of teachers in their various classrooms due to unpaid salaries.
According to them, this has to a larger extent affected their normal academic activities; therefore, going into the streets to protest was their way of venting their anger and calling the government’s attention.
But on the heel of rioting students, the Liberia National Police (LNP) through its respective riot forces – in particular, the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) dispersed teargas that left scores of students in tears and unconscious.
Government Condemned
While the Government of Liberia (GoL) through its requisite entities had yet to issue an official statement on the matter up to press time, there were widespread condemnations by different groupings against the government.
One of them, the Liberia National Students Union (LINSU), slammed the government for continuously neglecting the education sector. The provocative student group averred that the Unity Party (UP)-led Government under President Joseph Nyuma Boakai has to meet its obligation on critical national issues including but not limited to: wage irregularities, poor school conditions, and the lack of basic teaching materials.
LINSU indicated that the government’s inaction to address these key issues is an attack on the future of Liberia’s youth. “The government is prioritizing corruption over education,” alleged LINSU as it expressed solidarity with students of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS).
LINSU alarmed that as students continue to languish in dilapidated classrooms, public officials continue to misuse state resources.
Students’ actions supported but with caution
At the same time, anti-corruption activist – the Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), Mr. Anderson Miamen, pledged support to the students’ demand but with a caveat that they remain peaceful.
“I stand with the protesting students; they deserve better treatment. The Students are right to protest; I stand with them fully. My only caution is for them to be peaceful. Their teachers deserve better working conditions. Even the students deserve better learning Conditions,” wrote Miamen on his official Facebook page.
CENTAL is the Liberia chapter of the global anti-corruption body – Transparency International (TI).
Mr. Miamen believes that wasteful spending done by the government on nonessential things would have better been used for key priorities such as teachers’ salaries payment.
“We don’t have money to pay teachers well, but we can pay almost half a million United States Dollars to the former Central Bank k Governor to “settle him”. We can pay almost 25,000 USD to one government official, but pay under 200 USD to public school teachers.”
“The country’s money should work for students, teachers, ministers, and all others. Few people should not feel it is their entitlement.” Meanwhile, the protesting students have threatened to shut down private schools in Monrovia if their teachers do not return to classes.
“There will be no learning for any private school if our teachers do not return to classes. If we can’t sit in classes because of our teachers’ business, other students will not sit in classes too,” they said.
The protesting students issued the threat on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, as their protest intensified. According to them, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai should ensure that the teachers receive their teaching benefits in a bid to allow them return to classes.
“We call on the rescue government to please rescue us. We want to learn. Government school is the first school in the republic; our teachers should not be treated in this form and manner,” the protesting students stated.
“It is exactly two school days since the MCSS Teachers Association announced an indefinite strike action until the government can address their four counts,” they said. Meanwhile, the students vowed to continue their protest action until the government addresses their teachers’ plights.
It’s truly disheartening to hear about the students who faced teargas. It’s important to ask why this happened and whether the protest was truly violent. We must recognize that peaceful protests are a fundamental right. The parents of those affected deserve support and should consider taking action against the government to seek justice for their children.