Cllr. Tiawan Saye Gongloe, the political leader of Liberian People's Party (LPP) and a distinguished human rights lawyer, said education is the only way to transform individuals and nations, while calling for more investment in the country's education sector.
Addressing graduates of Howard Academy School on Saturday, September 20, 2025, in Caldwell, Cllr. Gongloe said education is not just for personal gain.... it is for service... to uplift families, fight corruption, to heal communities, and to build a just and prosperous Liberia.
He told the graduates that a nation that neglects education, chooses poverty, while a nation that invests in education chooses progress. Cllr. Gongloe said a better Liberia is possible with more investment in education.
Cllr. Gongloe who spoke on the theme: "education: the key to personal and national transformation" said "we are reminded that education is more than passing exams or wearing a gown...it is the power that changes the life of a single student, lifts an entire family, and transforms a nation like Liberia."
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Referencing former President Edward Wilmot Blyden, a young Liberian who migrated from St. Thomas Virgin Islands said used education in the late 1800s to become one of Africa's greatest thinkers.
He said Blyden book Christianity, Islam and the Negro race, published in the 1887 is a classic in black studies. Yet, Blyden got his high school education at the Alexander High School, run by the Presbyterian Church in Liberia.
The late Liberian leader obtained his college education at the Liberia College, the precursor to the university of Liberia and he is considered the father of Pan-Africanism.
"Take Angie Brooks Randolph, a Liberian woman who became the first female president of the United Nations General Assembly and the first female associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Liberia". Cllr. Gongloe told the graduates.
He also highlighted a Liberian woman, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf who became the first female to be elected President of an African country and their lives prove that education breaks barriers of poverty, discrimination and other challenges to make giants out of ordinary people.
Naming a few African countries that are being transformed because of education Cllr. Gongloe said the first country that comes to mind is Rwanda....a country, like Liberia, that experienced a terrible civil conflict in which nearly a million of its citizens were killed.
"Rwanda, after its tragic history, invested in schools and teachers training. Today, it's one of the safest and fastest growing economies on the continent. Botswana is another example. Botswana has used the money generated from its diamonds to educate its children," he said.
He said today, the money invested in education has transformed that country into one of the most developed in Africa, if not the world. One example in West Africa is Ghana.
Cllr. Gongloe said from the administration of President Kwame Nkrumah, Ghana made education a pillar of development.
He said this emphasis on education has produced a generation of entrepreneurs and leaders driving stability, growth and development in that West African country.
"Mauritius, Cape Verde, Zimbabwe amongst others is much better than Liberia today because the governments of these African countries have invested more in education than Liberia. These countries remind us that when you educate your people, you strengthen peace, safety, and prosperity," he said.
He told the graduates that the same applies to them as some of them come from families that could barely afford school fees, some walking long distances to class or studying at night by candlelight.
The human rights lawyer said it's education that enabled Cllr. Beyan Duyan Howard and his beautiful wife Mrs. Erika Howard, to build this school in order to provide a chance for the children of this community to have access to education.
Addressing the parents, he said your sacrifices have watered the seeds, and teachers, your dedication has shaped the future. But for Liberia to truly rise, our government must invest more seriously in schools, teachers and opportunities for young people.
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"Today, we celebrate more than a graduation, we celebrate the power of education... The one tool that transforms individual lives and builds nations," he said.
According to him, their education made them see the need, and with the help of the almighty God, to make the sacrifice to build this great facility.
"Yet you are here wearing my gowns with pride. That perseverance shows what education can do. But this should not be the end. Rather, it must be the beginning of your journey to transform, not only your own lives, but also Liberia," he encouraged the graduates.
Erika Howard, proprietress of Howard Academy expressed gratitude to the teaching staff for their dedication and commitment that helps to shape the lives of the graduates.
She also lauded the parents for standing with the children over the years and ensuring that they are successful graduates today.
