Editorial: Transforming Education: A Commendable Decision

A recent publication in this paper attributed to the Government of Liberia, through Deputy Education Minister for Instruction Mator Kpangbai, suggested that earners of certificates from Teachers Training Institutes would no longer be allowed to teach in high schools around the country.

The decision when effected is intended to make the Liberian educational system competitive with those of the West African Sub-region. According to Deputy Education Minister Kpangbai, if Liberia must compete with other countries of region, the School system needs qualified and competent teachers.

He expressed the belief that solid educational foundation was the only hallmark for the achievement of good and sound results for the nation’s educational system. His comments may have been in consonance with the positive results achieved by Liberian high school students writing this year West African Exams.

Even though the government did not say what will happen to certificate earners, one can easily conclude that they may likely be restricted to primary schools and probably, at certain level of the junior high division. While this decision by the government must be welcomed as a positive step , it must also be regarded as one directed at not only  strengthening , but   transforming our school system.

In so doing, Liberians may just be hopeful that the necessary strategies, including  the redevelopment of the various curricula to reflect present-day challenging realities in contemporary education.  The government must also ensure that it attaches timeline to its recent decision and not only confines itself to the recent pronouncement.

May we, critical Liberians, don’t also perceive this worthy national cause as undermining the RTTI’s and their products. We must be hopeful that the transformation process will incorporate the.  Again, the government through the Ministry of Education must be commended for the decision with the hope that it would make public detailed pronouncements, including a timeline for this national initiative.