Capitol Hill, March 6, 2026: The Plenary of the Liberian Senate has summoned the Minister of Education, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, over the lack of civic education in schools and the failure to include volunteer health workers on the government payroll.
On Thursday, March 5, 2026, the Senate ordered that the Minister of Health, Dr. Louis Kpoto, along with the Minister of Finance and Development Planning, and the Director General of the Civil Service Agency, appear before the Committee of the Whole on Tuesday, March 10, 2026. They are expected to provide clarification on several pressing issues:
* A comprehensive update on the total number of volunteer health workers currently serving in public clinics and hospitals, and the number of volunteers formally added to the national payroll during the 2025/2026 fiscal year.
* A specific timeline and strategy for integrating remaining volunteers into the payroll system, as previously recommended, and an explanation of the challenges preventing the transition of long-term volunteers to full employment.
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At the same time, the plenary summoned the Minister of Education to explain why civic education is not fully implemented in all public and private schools, and to provide a concrete timeline for nationwide, mandatory adoption.
The Senate's decision followed communication from Gbarpolu County Senator Amarah Konneh, who highlighted the ongoing reliance on volunteer health workers across the country's clinics and hospitals without adequate compensation.
Senator Konneh warned that leaving this situation unaddressed could undermine Liberia's national healthcare system. "Despite budgetary allocations aimed at bolstering the health sector, reports from various counties, including Gbarpolu, indicate that hundreds of trained professionals are performing full-time duties without formal employment, regular pay, or job security. This has led to high attrition, reduced morale, and has forced many skilled workers to abandon their posts, severely impacting services to our citizens," he stated.
In a related development, Senator Konneh also drew the plenary's attention to the concerning absence of formal civic education in many Liberian schools, despite its vital importance for national development and reconciliation.
He noted that although the Ministry of Education has reportedly reintroduced a civic education curriculum, evidence from the field suggests that civics is not being taught consistently, or at all, in many institutions. He warned that this could result in a generation disconnected from Liberia's values, history, and founding principles--essential elements for fostering good citizenship.
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"The deficiency in civics education means students graduate without a fundamental understanding of our constitutional democracy, their rights and responsibilities as citizens, and the workings of government. Without this knowledge, our youth are vulnerable to manipulation, and efforts to build a sustainable democracy are undermined," he concluded.
