The Minister of Education suspended Mr. Lawrence L. Kiamue Sr., Principal of the N.V. Massaquoi High School with immediate effect.
Mr. Kiamue was punished over allegations of misappropriated funds designated for school renovations in District 2 in Bong County.
Minister Jarso Jallah has with immediate effective appointed Mrs. Rebecca Vah, Vice Principal for Administration to assume the role of acting Principal, ensuring seamless administrative continuity until further directives, while Mr. Kiamue undergoes investigation.
According to Mr. Jallah, the decision reaffirms the Ministry’s dedication to transparency and accountability in Liberia’s educational institutions, preserving public resources for their intended purpose.
As investigations progress, the Ministry maintains vigilance in upholding the integrity of our educational system, with Mrs. Vah’s appointment reflecting confidence in her ability to lead with competence and integrity.
According to our reporter who was part of the inspection team that visited N.V. Massaquoi High School, the Minister was seen blasting Mr. Kiamue for the alleged misapplication of US$55,000 grant received from the World Bank under the Ministry of Education’s IRISE Project in 2021.
Though the previous administration of MoE and the monitoring team from the IRISE Project named N.V. Massaquoi High School as one of the institutions that properly used the grant for the purpose intended, Jallah expressed disappointment over the work done with the money in the institution.
In her words, “Projects that have no impact on the students were prioritized by Mr. Kiamue, while his students sat on broken chairs in their various classes to acquire knowledge.”
During the inspection, she also observed that Mr. Kiamue does not have absolute control over the institution, evidenced by the filthiness of various classes and some administrative offices.
The Education Stakeholders engagement which was held in the auditorium of the government-run Dolokelen Gboveh High School brought together dozens of classroom teachers, District Education Officers, Principals, and students among others.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Education has successfully ended the inspection of several Public Schools in Bong County as part of efforts to evaluate the Educational system of Liberia.
Minister Jarso M. Jallah along with her entourage Sunday, toured the William Richard Tolbert High School in Gbalatuah, Zota District, John Flomo Barkalu, N. V. Massaquoi, and Dolokelen Gboveh High Schools respectively.
She also made a stop at the construction site of the World Bank-funded State-Of-The-Art model Secondary High School project on the Gbarnga-Lofa Road.
Speaking at a stakeholders meeting following the inspection exercise on Sunday April 28, 2024, Min. Jallah said the process is in fulfillment of the commitment she made to the Liberian People that in her first hundred days, she would have visited the 15 political subdivisions of the Country to identify the barriers to achieving an equitable and accessible education in Liberia.
Dr. Jallah said under her watch as Education Minister, she will ensure that Monitoring and evaluation are properly carried out in all grade schools across the country without fear or favor.
She asserted that in the coming months, a taskforce will be constituted and charged with the responsibility to monitor and evaluate the activities of education workers; particularly School administrators and classroom teachers to improve the learning system for school-going children in Liberia.
Commenting on the low salaries of teachers, Minister Jarso Jallah said her leadership will make sure that the salaries of all qualified teachers align with their current credentials.
She at the same time called on various school administrations to be accountable and transparent in the discharge of their day-to-day activities.
