Liberia's education sector sits at a pivotal crossroads. As government officials, development partners, lawmakers, and civil society organizations convened in Buchanan for the 2025 Joint Education Sector Review (JESR), one message emerged with clarity: progress has been made, but the challenges that remain are deep, structural, and morally urgent.
Held under the theme "Halfway to the Goal: Mid-Term Review and Zoom Focus on Accelerating Foundational Learning Outcomes and Equity," the two-day review assessed the country's performance against its five-year Education Sector Plan and laid out what must change to improve learning outcomes nationwide.
In her opening address, Minister of Education Jarso M. Jallah emphasized that accountability begins with truth--and truth begins with credible data. For the first time in four years, the government completed a full Annual School Census, capturing data from 6,394 schools across Liberia.
"This restoration of our evidence base is one of the most important achievements of the period," Jallah said. "It allows us to plan better, target better, and govern better."
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With improved data, the Ministry reports notable gains as Early childhood enrollment has surpassed national targets, Girls' senior secondary enrollment is above sector plan goals, signaling progress toward gender parity, and adult literacy enrollment slightly exceeds expectations.
These improvements suggest that when barriers are reduced, Liberia's education system responds.
A major structural reform involved verifying and placing 2,148 qualified volunteer teachers onto the government payroll--reducing exploitation of unpaid labor and improving classroom continuity.
The Ministry also mobilized US$128 million in new financing to strengthen foundational learning, teacher training, and secondary education. This includes US$88.7M EXCEL Project, and US$40M Leaders in Teaching Project.
Combined, these programs modernize teacher training institutions and improve STEM readiness. The Ministry plans to equip 50 additional senior high schools with laboratories, adding to the 28 already supported.
School feeding programs also expanded, reaching 239,000 learners in 1,473 schools--despite global funding pressures. The government contributed US$1 million of its own resources, signaling a shift toward national ownership.
"These are deliberate moves toward coherence," Jallah said. "They align financing, workforce development, and system strengthening."
But Data Also Shows Harsh Realities
Despite pockets of progress, Liberia's learning crisis remains acute.
"Many children are still completing schooling without mastery," Jallah warned. "Completion rates remain low, especially at grade six."
Challenges identified include overage enrollment that undermines effective classroom management, severe textbook shortages, especially in secondary schools, low TVET enrollment, underrepresentation of children with disabilities, and Persistent school safety concerns, including harassment and weak supervision.
These issues reveal inequities that reinforce national inequality.
"If learning is inequitable, opportunity is inequitable--and national development is inequitable," Jallah said.
She declared 2026 a "Year of Accountability", insisting that policies must now translate into measurable results.
Data, Quality, and Corruption Must Be Tackled
Delivering remarks on behalf of the 55th Legislature, Representative Nya Flomo, Chair of the House Committee on Education, praised the Ministry's effort but urged stronger implementation of the 2011 Education Reform Act, especially the activation of county and district school boards.
Flomo issued a stark warning about corruption, pointing to cases where school infrastructure sits unused due to poor planning or political interference.
"If corruption is not taken seriously, it will undermine all the efforts government and partners are making," he said.
He also called for heightened scrutiny of national exams (WAEC), recounting disturbing stories of cheating, bribery, and compromised exam monitoring.
UNICEF Country Representative Andy Brooks praised Liberia's system-strengthening approach but urged greater focus on the most vulnerable--children with disabilities, out-of-school youth, and adolescent girls.
"If you don't talk about inequities, you don't notice them, and you don't change them," he said.
UNICEF affirmed support for President Boakai's nationwide National Enrollment Drive, noting that cross-ministerial coordination--education, health, gender, youth, social protection--is essential to identify and support the most marginalized learners.
Brooks also cautioned that expanding access must not come at the expense of quality.
"If a class increases from 40 to 100 learners, we must ensure quality is not sacrificed."
Civil society groups at the Review, especially Helping Our People Excel (HOPE), highlighted persistent gender gaps. Under the Educate HER Project, HOPE unveiled the Girls' Education Scorecard 2025, a first-of-its-kind monitoring tool measuring progress across 21 indicators.
The Scorecard exposes county-level disparities in retention, safety, learning outcomes, and access to secondary education.
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It is expected to reshape data-driven policymaking around girls' education.
Deputy Minister for Planning, Research and Development, Thomas Parker, summarized the purpose of the JESR with clarity, assess progress against the five-year sector plan, ground decisions in evidence, and align resources for accelerated progress.
Parker described the process as participatory, county-informed, and intentionally transparent.
"This is a national moment of accountability, reflection, and collective decision-making," he said.
The 2025 JESR revealed a sector fighting to rise--buoyed by improved data, teacher reforms, new financing, and renewed political will. But it also exposed systemic weaknesses that threaten to derail progress unless addressed with discipline and integrity.
Minister Jallah closed with a call for shared responsibility:
"Halfway can be a moment of hesitation--but it can also be a turning point. The Liberia we seek is within reach if we choose accountability, alignment, and results for the sake of every child."
At this midpoint, Liberia's education sector stands before its moment of truth. The second half of the sector plan will determine whether the country accelerates toward equitable, child-centered, quality learning--or remains trapped by old patterns of fragmentation, inequity, and lost potential.Bottom of Form
