By S. Siapha Mulbah
The Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) seems to be getting engulfed from within in a fight on administrative proceedings, causing two factions of workers raising claims and counterclaims through a protest at the institution’s national headquarters.
On Monday, May 20, 2024, aggrieved workers of the MCSS shut down the building and restricted access through an early morning protestation, presenting several counts which were all against the recent appointment of Emmanuel Robertson as Assistant Superintendent for Instruction by President Joseph Boakai.
In a relatively peaceful manner, a portion of the MCSS Central Office workers in the protest, had placards with inscriptions targeted towards calling the President to withdraw his nomination of an Assistant Superintendent at the entity.
Speaking to reporters on the matters behind the protest, John Cummings, the president of the MCSS Central Office Workers Association, leading the aggrieved workers’ petition, noted that the president’s decision to have appointed Emmanuel Robertson to said position was an error on the part of the Chief Executive.
According to Cummings, there is only one position at the level of the Monrovia Consolidated School System that gives power to the Liberian leader to appoint, which is the superintendent proper, while the rest is done through vetting by the Superintendent and the MCSS Council.
He further explained that the position of an assistant superintendent is a civil servant position that is being occupied by Samuel Marwolo Johnson, who had been serving before what he termed as a purported appointment of Robertson.
He alleged that since the appointment of Roberson to the position in question, the system of the MCSS has continuously been interrupted, hindering the institution from achieving its operational goals because of some disrespectful actions of the newly appointed Assistant Superintendent.
As the dissatisfaction of the MCSS workers heats up with treats that failure on the part of the President to take action, the entire MCSS system will get involved in the protestation, it is assumed that students, forming a huge portion of the stakeholders, will join the process, amidst the ongoing West African Senior Secondary Certificate Examination.
Emmanuel Robertson said his position as an instructional person appointed by the President makes him independent to work professionally and stand for the right thing to be done at the MCSS after many years of bad administration.
He stated that persons believed to be supported by those considering doing the wrong things in the school governance system are protesting against him because of his continuous disagreement on ideas that will deprive the ordinary students and schools of conducive learning environments.
Countering one of the points on being the impediment to the renovation of the MCSS Central offices, Robertson said, “They want to use US$86,000 to renovate a building with a total worth not up to that amount, and I said the money should be used on the renovation of the school for the people we want to rescue; that is the problem.”
He however vowed to resign from his position as Assistant Superintendent if the protest of the aggrieved MCSS workers claims the President’s attention to have him classified him as an embarrassment to the system.
