By: Decontee M.Karngar
ZORGEIPA-Nimba County is one of the many towns in rural Liberia where children struggle for education. The town has an inhabitants of 2,500 and doesn’t have an active education system that children can learn to advance their educational journey.
Jerry Saye Junior -youth chairman of Zorgeipa said that it is sad that children aged 10 years and above have not been in a classroom. Children of this town are not going to school and they will have no future for themselves, I feel bad every day knowing that there is no hope for children whose parents don’t have money to send them sanniquellie to go to school, He explained.
Jerry added that Children who don’t have family members out of Zorgeipa walk a 4-5 hours distance every day to go to school in Zorgowee just to acquire education, and parents who don’t have family in other developed parts of Nimba county and don’t have the money to send them in Zorgowee to school are just in the town working on farms.
This is damaging the lives of underage children and depriving them of their right to education. Instead of sitting in the classroom, those children have turned into domestic workers at an early age following their parents to the farm every morning to help provide for the home.
Zorgeipa town has held on to an unfinished school building that broke down in 2010 and hoping that the government can help renevent the school to enable their children to go to schools, but members of the town have not received any help for the last thirteen years from the government of Liberia and its partners.
Despite some progress being made on education in Liberia, there are still significant challenges in realizing the right to education for every child”.
Liberia is one of the oldest Countries in Africa and still faces major issues with education in rural areas that have dined under age children and youth the
right to education.
In Africa, Liberia has one of the world’s highest levels of out-school children, with an estimated 15 to 20 percent of 6–14 year-olds who are not in class. Just over a third of pre-schoolers have access to early childhood learning programs and only 54 percent of children complete primary education, proven by the UNICEF statistics.
In 2022 statistics from UNESCO, indicate that a substantial percentage of children in Liberia are out of school, with various factors contributing to their exclusion, such as poverty, gender-based discrimination, violence, conflict, and displacement.
The UNESCO’s alarming statistics further revealed that 20% of children between 6 and 11, 30% of children between 12 and 14, and 60% of children between 15 and 17 years are out of school.”
Prince Michael -24 explained, my sister, we are suffering here when it comes to our education, i am not thinking about myself going to school again because I am already 24 years old and I have four children, so my concern is about my children and other children to go to school, He noted.
24-year-old Prince said that the school building in the town is stopping to 6th grade and was constructed by members of the town without the help of government or politicians, but these politicians only go in the town during the period of election and abundant them when elected.
We don’t have a school here for our children, some of us are farming to support our children but because of bad roads, we are unable to sell to get money for ourselves. Cecelia Gbah said.
Cecelia is a mother of three children, her children are living in Sanniquellie but are not going to school because there is no money to send them to school
The Government expenditure on education, total (% of GDP) in Liberia was reported at 2.417 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. Liberia – Public spending on education, total (% of GDP) – actual values, historical data, forecasts, and projections were sourced from the World Bank in August of 2024.
According to the 2021/2022 Annual School Census Report, the primary school completion rate was 10 percent for boys and 11 percent for girls in school.
To address the rising school dropout rates in Liberia, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai launched the National Enrollment Drive Movement. This initiative, championed by the Ministry of Education in partnership with its Development Partners, aims at ensuring that every school-aged child in Liberia not only enrolls but also remains in school.
The launch ceremony, held in Monrovia, marks a critical juncture in the Ministry’s ongoing efforts to reverse the troubling trend of student dropouts, which currently stands at 20 percent. The National Enrollment Drive Movement aims to bring this figure down to a more sustainable 15 percent, with a strategic focus on increasing enrollment and retention rates across the country.
During the launch, President Boakai highlighted the crucial role of the Ministry of Education in safeguarding the future of Liberia’s youth. He called on Education Officers across the nation to rally behind this initiative, stressing the need to create conducive learning environments in classrooms and school buildings nationwide. The President also made a heartfelt appeal to all Liberians to invest in their children’s education, ensuring they are adequately prepared for the challenges ahead.
Minister of Education, Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, echoed the President’s call to action, describing the National Enrollment Drive Movement as a transformative milestone for Liberia’s education sector. She emphasized the campaign’s primary objective of combating dropout rates and increasing school enrollment, particularly at the primary level.
The movement, which kicks off on August 12, 2024, initially targets several key counties including Grand Bassa, Rivercess, Rivergee, Sinoe, Gbarpolu, and Bomi, with plans for broader national implementation. This initiative aligns closely with the ARREST agenda, which is dedicated to reducing dropout rates among school-aged children.
