The National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) is seeking a ministry status, thereby calling on the Legislature to have the same elevated.
It believes in order to make prudent decisions and progress in the tertiary educational sector, it is necessary that the Commission is represented at the cabinet level.
NCHE’s Director General, Edward Lama Wonkeryor believes if there is a Minister of Higher Education and Technical Schools within the Executive Branch, he or she will be able to make the case for those tertiary institutions both private and public during cabinet meetings.
He said therefore to better Liberia’s higher education system, it needed to emulate the example of its counterparts who have ministers on higher education, like Sierra Leone, Egypt and other African Nations.
Wonkeryor made his argument recently to the media in Monrovia. He is of the conviction that the status of a Ministry, will inform the President to include the Ministry during cabinet meetings which will enable the head of the ministry to make the proper case on behalf of the institution.
“The President is doing his very best, but I think when the Commission is elevated we will make our case easily at the cabinet level and I think he will be willing to listen to our plight,” he suggested.
Wonkeryor then commended the Education Ministry for its effort toward building the Commission admitting that the Ministry has been supportive of the Commission’s vision by becoming a Ministry.
He also added that the MOE boss, Dao Ansu Sonii, is concerned that the NCHE should be adequately funded by the Legislature so as to address those challenges at hand.
“Sonii is one of the most viable, hardworking and studious Ministers. He is very capable but mostly he goes for cabinet meetings and pushes the case from Nursery to 12th grade, because he cannot do it all,” the Commission Director stated.
He continued: “Now, I am a Director of higher education but I don’t attend cabinet meetings. This does not augur well for the Commission.
Wonkeryor pointed out that to address the issue of quality education there is a need to provide adequate budgetary support to the Commission, craving adequate budgetary and logistical support for the Commission.
“Vehicles are also a challenge, so the aspect of going around monitoring schools is a big problem. And for us to evaluate schools that are not supposed to be operated is difficult,” he noted.
He state further that he is passionately appealing to the National Legislature to do due diligence on behalf of the Commission in terms of budgetary support.