U.S. Ambassador Deborah Malac says the U.S. Government is committed to helping the Government of Liberia transform teacher education in the country to address an increasing demand for a well-trained workforce.

Speaking at a commencement ceremony July 6 for nearly 500 newly certified teachers at Cuttington University, Ambassador Malac emphasized that the U.S. Government, through the USAID Liberia Teacher Training Program, has helped to strengthen the education sector by training teachers in up-to-date methodologies and supporting development of new regulatory and operational policies.

She said equitable access to quality education in the country has not yet been achieved, and she urged graduates to prepare their students- especially those at the primary level- for the road ahead. "We firmly believe that only with quality teachers will there be quality education for the youth of Liberia," Ambassador Malac said.

The Monrovia Consolidated School System Superintendent (MCSS), Adolphus Jacobs, noted that as "C" certificate holders, teachers could have an impact on whether primary school students stay in school or drop out.

He said that in the midst of education reform in the country, teachers should have integrity and refrain from any form of solicitation because it hurts the educational system. "Solicitation, be it in money, labor or otherwise has got to stop," Superintendent Jacobs said.

The USAID Liberia Teacher Training Program has trained more than three thousand teachers at the "C" certificate level and distributed more than 500,000 books.

The program has also provided scholarships to Masters and Doctoral students and introduced the first Education Management Information System in Liberia.