PROGRAMS

Challenges – Education in Liberia

According to GlobalParthnership, major “challenges ‘across Liberia’ include poor learning outcomes, overage enrollment, huge number of out-of-school children, … and unskilled teachers, and many unqualified teachers”.

While some progress has been made in the education sector, much work is still needed as Liberia, West Africa has not fully recovered from the 14 year civil war that ravaged much of its infrastructure. “The lack of untrained teachers is yet another ripple effect from the civil war. Quality learning cannot take place in Liberian schools where 36 per cent of primary teachers and 29 per cent of secondary instructors are unqualified” ( UNICEF, Liberia – Basic Education). Unfortunately, the Ebola crisis crippled much of the improvements made over the years and basically reversed much of the economic and social progress.

According to USAID, “the Primary School Net Enrollment Rate, the percentage of primary age students attending primary grades, is only 44 percent”. Additionally, “Liberia is significantly behind most other African countries in nearly all education statistics. It has one of the world’s highest levels of out-school children, with an estimated 15 to 20 per cent of 6–14 year-olds who are not in class. Just over a third of pre-schoolers have access to early childhood learning programmes and only 54 per cent of children complete primary education”.

Scholarship & Wrap Around Services.

To help create positive impact, LIFE started a scholarship and wrap-around service pilot project in Liberia during the 2019-2020 academic year. We held a Back to School Jam and provided school supplies in a local community. Five students were identified via a lottery and awarded scholarships to attend a school close to their homes. Participants were students living the Pipeline community in Paynesville, Liberia.

Our goal is a simple one. Increase students’ access to quality, less crowded educational environment and support them with basic resources they may lack that could hinder their academic progress ( i.e. food, transportation, shelter, clean drinking water, etc.).