-In its report on public schools’ registration fees
A Research Conducted by the Institute for Policy Evaluation and Research (IPER) in Bong and Lofa County, focusing on public schools’ registration fees, has uncovered huge corruption at the Ministry of Education and public high schools in the respective counties.
Some few months ago IPER with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) embarked on a study to determine the pressing issues that Liberia is confronted especially with the accountability of public schools’ registration fees which, the organization having concluded its research under the auspices Education Research Report, made the findings known at an elaborate program held in Monrovia, on Friday, February 23, 2023.
Making a power point presentation of the report, IPER Executive Director, Jacob Flomo expounded the study finds that there is no written policy governing the collection, utilization and management of registration fees in the country. Others than a statement made by the MOE in 2019 calling on all schools to collect registration fees and transfer the fees to the MOE through a consolidated mobile money account managed at the MOE Central office in Monrovia.
“Also, there is no record that systematically outline the policy, details it’s objective or outline the method for documenting and accounting for fees. The lack of documentation results in limited transparency in the registration fees collection and management process”, he indicated.
Accordingly, the research also finds that based upon that, public schools are charging extra fees, adding that nearly all respondents in the study, both in the quantitative and qualitative research studies indicated being charged extra fees outside of the prescribed registration fees announced in 2019 by the Ministry of Education.
Stating further the findings of the report, Mr. Flomo said for those who participated in the KIIs and FGDs , the combined extra fee charged per academic year sums above L$ 10,000.00 and for participants in the quantitative survey, the amount averages more than L$ 2,000.00. These figures fall far beyond the payment of required by the MOE.
He told educaton actors, civil society organizations and journalists that the report also finds that accountability for registration fees is low, because most schools don’t have bank accounts and there is no mobile money number registered in the name of the school.
However, as a result, the report disclosed that students, parents are required to to make payments of their fees in the hands of the school registrar or in personal accounts of school administrator, adding that 68% of students and parents in the study pay their fees directly to tothe registrar.
Furthermore, the report pointed out that, schools don’t report on their annual operations to the Ministry of Education through the District Education or County Education Officers, saying that limited accountability for fees paid could undermine the stipulated objective for the collection of registration fees.
“The research finds that Citizens involvement is very low in schools management decision across the study counties. In some communities, the PTA and students leadership are relatively dormant and not active in the operation of the school. In other areas, it’s only the chairperson of the PTA that is involved not the entire body. We asked to provide Meeting minutes and attendance record for PTA meetings, school that claimed to have had PTA meetings could not provide any such”, according to the report.
Making remarks after he received the report, Saywala Jallah, Director for the Bureau of Teachers Education at the Ministry of Education extolled the report and described the findings as interesting, stressing the importance to improve the Liberian public schools system, promised to work with civil society organizations in leading the efforts for a better education sector in Liberia.
Also making remarks, the Superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), Mr. Isaac Saye-LakpohZawolo acknowledged that educaton is a fundamental right for every citizen which, according to him, should draw the attention of all actors to the reform process.
Mr. Zawolo the co- recipient of the Education Research Report, intimated that those who failed to manage and account properly the fees collected from public schools’ registration fees create a barrier to access education, adding that this sends a message of unpatriotism as it will undermine the forward march of the country.
He also said, “We have to be able to put the structure in place to safeguard the system so that our children who want to be in school can be in school. I am one of the persons who believe strongly that public education should be freed.”
Officially launching the report, Atty. Jeremiah Samuel-Dugbo, an academic and independent researcher stated that the journey to set the education of the country in par globally involves the collaboration of knowledge and efforts of education actors and civil society. He spoke of the report as a catalyst which has the potential for positive change.
Several civil society organizations who spoke at the launch lauded the report and urged IPER to move beyond the report to ensure there is policy implementation of its findings.
IPER is a research and policy advocacy organization that delivers high quality research, learning, evaluation and advocacy that directs development perspectives, improves knowledge, and fosters creative solutions to problem that impede societal development. We work on the area of education, health, democratic governance, agriculture, and the environment.
