Public school teachers in Grand Cape Mount and Bomi Counties are expressing serious dissatisfaction with their monthly salaries; a situation they said has forced them to live below the poverty line or human standard. “Our salaries do not commensurate with our qualifications,” the aggrieved teachers stated.
Despite meeting requirements by obtaining a full degree and/or diploma in education from recognized universities or colleges including the William V. S. Tubman Teachers College at the University of Liberia and others, public school teachers in western Liberia’s monthly earnings are between L$9, 000 and L$25, 000 since 2011 to date which does not augur well for them.
Mr. Francis Massaquoi, Vice Principal for Instructions (VPI) of the Bo Community Public School said the only state-run senior secondary school at Bo-Waterside Township, Porkpa District has expressed frustration of the manner and form they are been treated.
He said at the Bo Community Public School, there are 19 teachers: 4 are bachelor degree holders from the William V. S. Tubman Teachers College of the University of Liberia; 4 are Associate of Arts Degree holders while the rest are A, B and C Certificate holders from Kakata, Webbo and Zorzor Teachers Training Institutes.
Massaquoi said besides the 11 instructors at the Bo Community including himself; his monthly salary is below the poverty line of US$150.00 stating he has been earning L$9, 000 monthly since 2011 while the rest make between L$15, 000 and L$25, 000 respectively since 2011 up to present. Also, 8 are rendering volunteer services as they are been compensated by the Parents Teachers Association (PTA).
He hopes that the US$6 Million allotted in this year’s budget shall increase their income not leaving out those volunteers who have been rendering services. If not, Massaquoi added, “We shall ground our tools until our demands are met.”
Massaquoi stated that their grievances had long been submitted to the Education Minister, Ansu Dao Sonii in 2021 during the President’s nationwide tour when their school was visited but there has been no redress to date.
During that time, he continued that the President also broke ground for the expansion of the school with 7 additional classrooms because the issue of accommodation is a major problem as enrolment has grown from 600 to 700 thus forcing them into two sections; morning and afternoon.
Massaquoi expressed the need that as civil servants, their salaries should be upgraded in the present fiscal national budget as spoken about by the President in his annual message to the citizens early this year.
The situation is not only unique to Bo Community Public School but also at John Boima Titus Public School in Wangekor; Tienii Wonde Public School in Tienii; Madina Public School in Madina; Sinje High School in Sinje; Daniel Town Public School in Daniel Town and other schools visited in Grand Cape Mount County.
Additionally, the same situation perhaps is at Gbah Public School in Gbah-Jekeh of Senjeh District of Electoral District #3, Bomi County, where the Principal, William Walcott, could not speak to this paper on the subject matter directly until he seeks approval from the District Education Officer (DEO).
On the general note, the situation is not limited to public school teachers alone in the western region; rather, it is across the country as there are dozens of complaints daily from regular and irregular teachers.
However, government said she is not doing employment, instead, it is replacement whether it involves teaching or not; writes throble suah.
