CAPITOL HILL, MONROVIA – House Speaker, Cllr. J. Fonati Koffa, has outlined challenges confronting the education sector, recommending concrete steps to improve it.
Speaker Koffa among those challenges highlighted the conferment of degrees on grandaunts not adequately capable of defending their respective academic credentials.
Speaking at a day-long Education Engagement Meeting with Education Stakeholders organized by the House of Representatives Committee on Education, on Monday, the Speaker also decried the appalling learning conditions impeding learning activities at the tertiary level in rural Liberia.
According to him, the education sector continued to experience logistical and manpower gaps; as a result of retirement compelling scores of rural lawmakers to settle the arrears of volunteer teachers.
The Speaker said in the worst case that those lawmakers don’t meet up with such obligations, both the students and volunteer teachers feel the pinch.
Speaker Koffa recommended investment into Technical Vocational Education in order to develop the skills of the country’s workforce.
The Speaker pledged the legislature’s support and collaboration towards programs intended to improve the Education sector.
Speaking earlier, the House’s Chairman on Education, Representative Romeo Quioh, called for generational preparedness of young people.
Rep. Quioh said the gathering aimed to review and assess the progress of educational endeavors. “We must take stock of where we stand, evaluate the current state of our educational sector, and appraise the strides we have made in implementing our policies and programs,” he said.
“However, our task does not end with mere evaluation. We must also identify the challenges and barriers that impede our educational progress. We cannot afford to overlook the voices of those directly impacted by these challenges. Therefore, we are here to gather insights from stakeholders across the spectrum of our educational sector.”
The gathering, on Capitol Hill, brought together authorities of the Ministry of Education, Monrovia Consolidated School System, The Parents Teachers Association among others.
The state of education in Liberia is confronted with multiple challenges.
These challenges include a shortage of teachers, under-qualified instructors, poor teacher performance, low learning outcomes, limited resources, and inadequate infrastructure, as the article suggests.
According to the World bank, a child born in Liberia today is expected to be only 32 percent as productive when they grow up as they could be if they enjoyed complete education and full health. The Bank stated that while15-20 percent of children aged 6 to 14 were not enrolled in basic education, 40 percent of students who start first grade drop out of school before completing primary education.
Representative Quioh then recommended an education stakeholders retreat where stakeholders in the sector can meet and develop working mechanisms to enhance productivity.
The veteran educator further noted that education is not the sole responsibility of the government or any single entity, adding it is a collective endeavor that requires the concerted efforts of the government, the private sector, NGOs, and other educational actors.
“Together, we must foster a cohesive approach to educational development. As we move forward, we must also review and align our work plans and budgets with our national education priorities and goals. Our resources must be directed towards initiatives that will have the greatest impact on our educational outcomes.”
