KLAY, Bomi – The deputy education minister for instruction, Amos Folley, has announced a plan by the ministry to vet all County Education Officers as it begins implementing strategies to strengthen the education sector.
Folley, the former CEO of Bomi, said that as far as he was concerned, there are currently no county education officers assigned across the country, as the ministry was still vetting credentials to ensure proper placement and avoid the mistakes of the past.
He spoke in Bomi at the Doumagbeh Public School in Klay district, where he was honored by the school’s administration for the many contributions he made to the education sector when he served as CEO.
He expressed the ministry’s unwavering commitment to weeding out unqualified educators from the public school system, noting that the current administration inherited several lapses, especially in the education system.
“When we put people in the classroom to teach, you need to exactly do that, not to cheat,” he said. “We are currently weeding out all the cheaters from the classroom. We mean this, and we will do it.”
He added: “I told them that if you are a journalist, or you did criminal justice, go and do your radio work, or go to the justice ministry. We need people that did education.”
Folley said following a nationwide tour, officials at the Education Ministry have assessed the challenges of the education system and will work assiduously to correct them. He also revealed the government’s plan to revamp its teacher licensing process.
“Comes 2025, all teachers should be licensed,” he said. “The real qualified people need to be in the classroom.”
Folley noted that many young Liberians had already been trained outside the country and were ready to work in the sector.
The minister also promised that the Education Ministry would start to address reported hikes in private school fees and reduce fees at public schools.
“We have received complaints that some of the schools are overcharging,” he said.
In a release, the ministry ordered that public school students enrolling from first to sixth grades will now pay L$1,000 (US$10.28) (US$5.14), as those in seventh to ninth grade will pay L$2,000, while students in 10th to 12th grades will pay L$3,000 (US$15.42), a semester, as of the coming school year.
Featured photo by Richard Williams