By Thomas Domah / Nimba County
Vice President Jewel Howard Taylor is urging the Liberian Legislature, especially the Senate, not to reduce the national budget for education, which currently stands at Five Million United States Dollars.
Vice President Taylor says the Government of Liberia has made a commitment in line with ECOWAS protocol to ensure that budget of member states for education does not reduce, but instead, progresses towards 25 percent minimum.
She notes that the Weah administration’s focus is on education that’s why Five Million has been allotted in the national budget to enhance the sector.
“I’m happy that Senator Prince Moye of Bong County, who is the chairman on education is here; the Senate should not reduce the ministry of education’s budget but rather increase it so that the ministry can carry out its functions by providing quality and modern education for Liberians”, the Vice President explains.
She made the call in Ganta, Nimba County at a week-long Joint Education Sector Review organized by the ministry of education with support from several development partners.
Liberia’s Education Minister Ansu Sonii said the ministry needs US$3 billion, about three hundred times the country’s budget to take education in Liberia to international standard.
Minister Sonii boasted that his leadership has brought more improvement in the sector, compared to previous ministers.
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The senate chair on education, Bong County Senator Prince Moye, pledged to work with both houses of the Legislature for more budgetary allotment to the ministry and praised
Minister Sonii for the level of improvement he has made since taking office.
However, Senator Moye stressed a need to observe people, who refer to themselves as teachers in the classroom, noting that most of them are not trained teachers, as come from different professional backgrounds but due to lack of jobs they force themselves in the education sector.
The Head of WAEC Liberia, Dale G. Gbotoe, called on government and parents to invest more in their children’s education.
Mr. Gbotoe noted that Liberia continues to perform poorly in the Sciences, with students scoring zero percent in Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Mathematics and English, among others in public exams.
The ministry of education annually hosts a Joint Education Sector Review (JESR) of its annual plan to look at progress, challenges, and way forward in transforming the Education System of Liberia. Editing by Jonathan Browne
