By Stephen N. Tokpah
-Bong (freelance)
The president of the Liberian Cooperative Standard Education School System (LICOSESS) Teacher Training College, Benjamin Yele Wehye, has confirmed that the institution’s Gbarnga site is fully operational, despite the Ministry of Education’s claims of a shutdown due to missing documents.
This announcement comes in response to MoE’s assessment team’s claim that the site was ordered closed because it did not meet specific legal requirements for operating a teacher training institute in Gbarnga.
In a telephone interview with a local radio station in county recently, Dr. Wehye disclosed that LICOSESS is fully operational, with students attending classes as scheduled.
He explained that the assessment team visited while he was out of the country attending a ceremony in Lusaka, Zambia, to receive his Doctorate in Education.
“So, let me say this to you,” Dr. Wehye stated, “We received a communication from the Bureau of Teacher Education about a month ago, notifying us of an assessment of teacher training institutions. At that time, I was in Zambia. I informed them of my unavailability and requested they delay the assessment since some crucial documents were in my office in Monrovia. Unfortunately, they chose to proceed with the assessment in my absence, even though I had committed to providing any missing documentation upon my return.”
According to Dr. Wehye, LICOSESS operates as a system of schools, and therefore all permits and documents are managed centrally.
He questioned why only the Gbarnga site was subjected to scrutiny, noting that similar issues were not raised at LICOSESS campuses in Kakata, Nimba and Maryland Counties.
He further explained that LICOSESS had recently made a payment of approximately $6,000 to the Ministry of Education and was awaiting permits; which he said were delayed due to processing times.
“All the necessary documents have been submitted to the Ministry of Education,” Dr. Wehye said, “And classes are ongoing. We are fully operational in Gbarnga. There is no basis for saying that our site here is closed. This is unfortunate and seems to be fueled by misunderstandings or potential propaganda.”
He reiterated that LICOSESS, as the largest private teacher training institution in Liberia, is dedicated to providing quality education and encouraged students to continue attending classes as he called on the faculty to contribute to improving Liberia’s education system.
His comments come from the report of MoE’s assessment team regarding concerns about LICOSESS’s curriculum standards and documentation.
They criticized the institution for allegedly using course guides instead of a complete curriculum for its B-certificate program in Gbarnga, which they argued undermines the quality of teacher training.
“You can’t run an institution without a curriculum. A course guide is not a curriculum. As of today, we are shutting down this center. You are training teachers without adequate resources or an accredited site. The law mandates that each site must be accredited by the government to operate legitimately, which this site currently lacks,” the assessment team stated.
Founded on November 4, 1994, by a group of professional Liberian educators, LICOSESS was created to support the Ministry of Education in developing well-trained teachers for both primary and secondary levels.
Since its incorporation on May 10, 1995, the college has produced educators with C, B, and AA certificates.
LICOSESS’s mission is to prepare educators with the skills necessary for modern classrooms, developing 21st-century teaching abilities through a high-quality curriculum and hands-on experience.
Dr. Wehye reaffirmed this mission, emphasizing LICOSESS’s commitment to its students and Liberia’s education sector.
