President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr. has intensified his administration's campaign to return 250,000 out-of-school children to classrooms by 2029, with UNICEF pledging continued technical and data support as Liberia moves from planning into nationwide implementation.
President Boakai made the call Friday, August 14, 2026, when he convened the National Steering Committee of the Back to My Classroom Campaign (BTMC) at the Executive Mansion's President's Tea House in Monrovia.
The meeting brought together senior government officials, county authorities, education stakeholders and development partners, including UNICEF, to strengthen coordination around one of the administration's most ambitious education interventions.
Launched as a presidential initiative in 2024, the Back to My Classroom Campaign seeks to return 250,000 children currently outside the formal education system to learning by 2029. The government has set a target of 80,000 children in 2026, followed by 60,000 in 2027, another 60,000 in 2028 and 50,000 in 2029.
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However, President Boakai cautioned that the campaign's success cannot be measured simply by the number of children enrolled, insisting that retention must be given equal priority.
"You got a huge figure, 250,000, and I was saying to the Minister, of course, Back to My Classroom, a little bit thinking whether you're talking about students who were already in school, who come back to their, or you're talking about all the students that will be coming back to school," President Boakai said.
"But the thing about coming to school is retention. People come back to school, how long they take," he added.
The President stressed that children who return to classrooms but subsequently drop out would undermine the campaign's broader objective.
"Enrollment is important, but retention is also equally important," he said, suggesting that the government could eventually recognize counties that demonstrate strong performance in both enrollment and retention.
Boakai said the large number of children outside school represents not only an education crisis but also a national development challenge.
He recalled seeing children on roadsides while others were attending classes, saying such experiences made him reflect on what Liberia could be losing by failing to educate a significant portion of its young population.
"Those children are part of this country. Those children are the future of this country," he declared.
The President warned that children who remain outside school could become vulnerable to social problems, while some may possess exceptional talents that could remain undiscovered because they lack access to education.
"Those children, they don't go to school. They are people who, tomorrow, become problems for society. And sometimes, among them, there are very, very brilliant children that need opportunity," he said.
Boakai said his administration is working to remove practical barriers preventing children from attending and remaining in school, including registration fees, inadequate furniture, lack of learning materials, clothing and hunger.
He pointed specifically to the administration's "one child, one chair" policy, arguing that children cannot be expected to learn effectively without basic classroom facilities.
"And sometimes we just take it lightly, but it's not fair to those children. It's not fair to the country, it's not fair to society," he said.
The President welcomed the Ministry of Education's decision to provide free registration and disclosed that international supporters were also contributing essential materials, including shoes, for Liberian children.
"We just want to assure you that with the right things in place, we have to implement it and make sure that these children in the street, just anywhere around, that you don't have an excuse to say why they are not in school," he said.
He also called for stronger involvement from county superintendents, teachers, parents, communities and local authorities, emphasizing that the campaign cannot succeed if it remains concentrated in Monrovia.
Boakai urged county officials to see themselves as representatives of the national government and take responsibility for identifying children outside school and helping them return to learning.
He further emphasized teacher welfare and professionalism, saying Liberia must invest in the people responsible for delivering education.
"We have to have teachers who are going to be real teachers, who would draw the respect of the students, who will get them engaged," Boakai said.
The President also called for stronger school-feeding programs, warning that hungry children cannot concentrate effectively in classrooms.
"Can you imagine going to school sitting down and not eating? Do you listen?" he asked.
For UNICEF, the campaign represents an important national effort to translate Liberia's commitment to the right to education into measurable results.
UNICEF Deputy Representative for Programme Amadou A. Cisse said President Boakai's decision to convene the National Steering Committee sends a strong message that education is a national priority.
"It's my honor to be standing here today for the first meeting of the Steering Committee of the Back to My Classroom Campaign," Cisse said.
"Your Excellency personally convening and sharing this committee sends a powerful message that every child's right to quality education is a national priority."
Cisse said nearly one in two Liberian children of school age are currently out of school, identifying poverty, disability, distance, child labor and displacement among the major barriers keeping children away from classrooms.
"This committee must do more than monitor progress; it should mobilize resources and build partnership, advocate for Liberia's children," Cisse said.
He assured the government that UNICEF would continue supporting data systems designed to identify children outside school and track their progress after returning to learning.
"Two years ago a promise was made to 250,000 Liberian children. Today the people responsible for delivering it are gathered around one table," Cisse said.
He urged the committee to ensure future meetings focus increasingly on measurable results rather than plans alone.
Minister of State Without Portfolio Mamaka Bility described the meeting as a transition from preparation to implementation.
"Our ambition is both urgent and historic: to reach 250,000 out-of-school children over the multi-year period, beginning with 80,000 children in the first phase whom we must mobilize, enroll, and effectively track," Bility said.
She cautioned against reducing the children to statistics.
"Beyond every number, it is a child whose education has been interrupted, a family whose hopes are at stake, and a future that Liberia cannot afford to lose," she said.
Education Minister Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah reaffirmed the government's commitment to reintegrating 250,000 children by 2029, beginning with 80,000 children across seven counties in 2026.
Jallah said children remain out of school for interconnected reasons, including poverty, missing documentation, distance, disability and age-related barriers.
"Experience has shown that getting a child through the school gate is only one step," she said.
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She stressed that the campaign requires a coordinated response from government institutions and development partners.
"A child does not experience government as separate ministries. They experience single, daunting barriers," Jallah said.
She urged development partners to align their interventions with the national campaign instead of operating separate programs with independent lists and tracking systems.
"We cannot have separate programs, separate lists, and silo tracking," she said.
Dr. Daniel Henry Smith disclosed that the Liberian Government is projected to contribute US$5 million annually toward implementation of the Back to My Classroom Campaign, clarifying that the amount represents the government's contribution and excludes financing expected from development partners.
The campaign has already progressed through several stages, including a Grand Bassa pilot, development of a common work plan, establishment of a data system, creation of county structures and development of pathways for identifying, placing and tracking children.
Gbarpolu County has become the first county to establish its campaign structure and sign a county-level memorandum of understanding.
For President Boakai, however, the ultimate measure of success will not be the number of children who simply walk through school gates.
The government must determine whether those children remain in school, whether classrooms have adequate facilities, whether teachers are supported, whether children receive meals and learning materials, and whether they are actually learning.
"Educating children is out of love. It's a commitment of love," President Boakai said, as he urged government institutions, counties, communities and development partners to commit themselves fully to ensuring that Liberia's 250,000 out-of-school children are not left behind.
