Transforming Education in Liberia- Addressing bottlenecks and challenges in the fulfillment of rights to education for all children in Liberia especially out-of-school children and adolescent girls

The Ministry of Education in collaboration with education partners has concluded a Post  Transformation Education Summit (TES) National Education Conference in Monrovia.

The two-day summit was conducted on the 13th and 14th of December 2022 at the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Ministerial Complex.

The summit is a continuation of the  Government’s commitment during the TES and with the full endorsement of the Senior Management Team of the Ministry of Education. 

Gbovadeh Gbilia Speaking on behalf of the LEAP providers

On 16,17 and 19 September 2022, a Transforming Education Summit was convened at the 7th session of the  UN General Assembly in response to the global crisis in education – one of equity and inclusion, quality, and relevance with a view to transforming education between now and 2030. 

Liberia, along with other Member States actively participated in the stakeholder consultation meetings with the objective of providing a unique opportunity to elevate education to the top of the global political agenda and to mobilize action, ambition, solidarity, and solutions to recover pandemic-related learning losses. 

Furthermore, to sow the seeds to transform education in a rapidly changing world to narrow down on issues that pose persistent challenges in the sector, some of which are underlying and recurrent; and from this  Summit, among the twelve commitments by the Head of States that attended the High-Level Side Event at  the Margins of TES, Liberia arose with a bold statement of commitment to address head-on the issues that  bemoan the education sector in Liberia.  

The thrust of the conference is on implementation issues and what can be done moving forward. Adopting  the not-business-as-usual approach. The conference is held with the main goal of

“Transforming Education  in Liberia: Addressing bottlenecks and challenges in the fulfillment of rights to education for all children in  Liberia especially out-of-school children and adolescent girls”. 

Specific Conference Objectives: 

• Analysis and identification of key bottlenecks, gaps and recommendations for effective  implementation and execution of relevant policy and plans. 
• Strengthen mutual accountability, review effectiveness of participation structures, build strong  partnerships through awareness and create a commitment to action by stakeholders. 
• Build consensus on potential, emerging innovations and best practices for the 21st century. Share  evidence on what works and relevant local and global data. 

Selected conference themes adapted from TES 

• Fulfilling the Right to Education, focusing on access for OOSC, overage and children at risk including  adolescent girls, addressing the bottlenecks to the execution of relevant education plans and policy. • Promoting accountability, decentralization, creating demand, empowerment and engagement of  key stakeholders in education provision. 
• Addressing the cumulative learning loss from past emergencies, improving foundational  competencies, integration of 21st century skills and strengthening teacher capacity. • Enhancing predictable education sector financing, strengthening local and external resource  mobilization. 

Expected Conference Outcomes: 

• A National Education Conference Resolution: Futures for Education in Liberia 2022-2026/7 to  include: 
• National agreement on the issues that limit educational progress in Liberia; 
• National agreement on the practical and implementable solutions (short term-long term) • National agreement on timelines: roll-out of resolution, funding and modalities of accountability • Aide Memoire that clearly defines the high-level monitoring committee headed by the office of the  Vice President. 

Participation of Conference 

• Executive 
• Legislative Branch of Government(Joint Committee on Education)  
• Line Ministries  
• Ambassadors 
• Donor agencies / Development Partners (USAID, World Bank, UNESCO etc.),  
• United Nations Country Team (UNCT) 
• Traditional Leaders 
• NPAL, NTAL, NPTA, CENTAL 
• Private Schools Secretariats, Private Providers 
• Student Representation (LINSU etc.) 

Ministry of Education Mission 

The mission of the Ministry of Education is to provide quality education for all and prepare future leaders who are  capable of handling the task of nation building, protecting our national heritage and enhancing the socio-economic  growth and development for the sustenance of the Liberian state.