Dozens of Students from the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) staged a peaceful protest considered as a Prelude and awareness to a nationwide plan protest slated for Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
According to the students, the protest seeks to call the government’s attention to the prolonged absence of instructors from classes due to the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Education and the Monrovia Consolidated School System’s failure to pay teachers their salaries within the period of four to six months.
The protesting students asserted that they have been left neglected by their instructors amid preparation for the upcoming West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCC), a standardized test in West Africa administered by the West African Examinations Council of Liberia (WAEC) that confirms graduation from secondary education.
Early Monday, Students from the Marvin Sonnie School in Clara Town, the William V.S Tubman High school and the G. W Gibson High School staged a peaceful protest in Central Monrovia, peacefully walking from Central Monrovia to 12 Street on the Tubman High School Campus.
During the protest, students were seeing holding placards with various inscriptions, while chanting slogan including but not limited to , ” We want learn, pay our teachers. Rescue government, we vote for our future. Old Man Boakai, Jeremiah Koung, please pay our teachers, we are suffering”, amongst others.
Speaking in an interview with journalists during the protest, James B. Kolleh, a student of the Marvin Sonnie Public School in Clara Town said that they have come outside in a preliminary protest to call the attention of the government to the continued absence of their instructors.
According to him, for good number of months, the instructors of the Monrovia Consolidated School System have been inactive in class due to the government’s alleged failure to pay their salaries.
“My brother, we are not protesting today, we are just walking to call the government’s attention to the absence of our instructors. They have been absent for some time now. When we asked them, some said that they have not been paid for four months, while others said six months. Whatever the case, we are calling on the government to address this issues today because tomorrow they will not like our actions. Today is just the prelude” he stated.
Also speaking, Praise Freeman, a senior Student of the William V. S Tubman High school on the 12 Street said that it’s very saddened that their instructors will be absent from classes at this crucial period.
She considered the current school period crucial because they are preparing to write their public test.
” My brother, this is very troubling and embarrassing for our educational sojourn. As we speak, we will soon be writing the West Africa Public Test. How do you expect us to make successful pass when our teacher are not coming to teach because government owes them. They have engaged the government and no results. And so, we have decided to come out to call the government attention because it’s our future” she stated.
James Massaley, from the G. W Gibson High school said that the Government of Liberia and Public Officials don’t consider the future of Liberian Children because their children are outside in foreign countries studying.
He accused the Government of Liberia under the leadership of President Joseph Boakai of giving less attention to the education of Children across the country, while describing the government as a failure.
