Liberia Education Coalition Lobbies for Increment in Education Budget

The Education Advocacy Coalition has recently concluded a meeting with lawmakers to rally for an increase in the national educational budget from 16.3 percent to 20 percent.

The coalition, consisting of organizations including Institute for Democratic Africa and Development, amongs others, funded by USAID through the Civil Society Activity (CSA) is aimed at push for an additional 3.7 percent in the educational budget.

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The proposed budget increase, from US$105,957,481 to US$129,975,393, is intended to lead to various improvements in the education sector.

These include the onboarding of 6,000 teachers onto the Government’s payroll (2 per school), provision of school supplies to 2,813 schools (US$2,600 per school) and upgrading school facilities for 2,813 schools ($1,298.7 per school).

The meeting was attended by several key figures, including Grand Bassa County Senator, Gbehzohngar Milton Findley, Bong County Electoral District #6 Representative, Moima Briggs Mensah and House of Representatives co-chair committee on education, as well as representatives from the Ministry of Education.

Senator Findley expressed concerns about the quality of education post-increment, emphasizing the need for advocacy for better educational standards, highlighting challenges such as  lack of qualified teachers in certain areas, leading to inadequate education delivery.