Liberia is poised to set another first for Africa. The country was the first in Africa to have a female president when Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf was elected in 2006.
Now, the country is embarking on what some are calling another first in Africa: outsourcing its entire pre-primary and primary education system to a private American company.
Education in Liberia was severely affected by the First Liberian Civil War and Second Liberian Civil War between 1989 and 2003. It is estimated that 50% of young women and 68% of young men have completed primary school or, if not, are able to read a whole sentence. The situation was exacerbated during the recent Ebola crisis.
Liberian Education Minister George Werner announced in January 2016 that pre-primary and primary public education would be outsourced to Bridge International Academies, a private US-based company, for a five-year period. The government of Liberia will pay over $65 million. READ MORE OF THIS STORY
