By Alex Yomah
A Civil Society Coalition working group, on yesterday, February 13, 2024, demanded 20 percent increment in fiscal budget to overhaul the cleanup of the educational system.
The civil society group said that the state of education in Liberia stands at a pivotal juncture, where the potentials for a brighter future for the youths are impeded by persistent challenges encompassing school supplies, teacher remuneration, educational infrastructure, early childhood education, and insufficient budgetary support.
The CSO said that, although the Liberian government acknowledges the paramount importance of education, as enshrined in Article 6 of the 1986 Constitution of Liberia, that guarantees equal access to educational opportunities and facilities for all citizens, substantive actions to address the escalating educational needs remain wanting.
The group noted that in alignment with its commitments under the Incheon Declaration of 2015 and the Dakar Framework of 2000, Liberia pledged to allocate a minimum of 20 percent of its national budget to the education sector.
Despite witnessing a gradual increase in the Liberian education sector’s budget in recent years, rising from 12 percent in Fiscal Year 2023 to 16 percent, the government has struggled to fulfill its obligations.
Reading a press statement on behalf of the group, Madam Siemon Wee said, “As stakeholders deeply invested in the education system, we recognize the pressing necessity for transformative policies to tackle critical issues concerning school supplies, teacher remuneration, educational infrastructure, early childhood education, and bolstering budgetary support to local education offices. This narrative aims to offer a concise overview of these challenges and set the groundwork for advocating for effective solutions and heightened budgetary allocations,” the group observed.
She stated that the policy aims to propose comprehensive solutions and advocate for a substantial increment in the education budget, describing inconsistent and inadequate distribution of school supplies, the lack of transparency in procurement, and insufficient budget allocations for quality supplies, as challenges of the school sector, noting that these challenges have negatively impacted and negatively affected the students’ learning outcomes, and as well hinders the teacher-student engagement, thereby undermining the quality of education.
