By Amos Harris
Liberian senators have expressed growing concern over the alarming number of unpaid volunteer teachers serving in schools across the country, describing the situation as a serious threat to the nation’s already struggling education system. The concern follows fresh disclosures from the Ministry of Education revealing that thousands of educators remain entirely outside the government payroll, keeping classrooms open without formal compensation.
Appearing before the Senate Plenary on behalf of Education Minister Jarso Maley Jallah, Deputy Minister for Administration Nyekeh Y. Forkpa disclosed that Liberia currently relies on 6,198 volunteer teachers working in schools nationwide without government salaries or stable employment benefits. The revelation immediately triggered an intense debate among lawmakers, many of whom questioned how the government expects to improve learning outcomes while a vast portion of its teaching workforce continues to labor under such difficult and uncertain circumstances. Senators warned that the growing dependence on volunteer teachers reflects deep structural weaknesses within Liberia’s public sector management.
During his briefing, Deputy Minister Forkpa informed the Senate that the Ministry of Education operates on a direct budget of 53.8 million USD, while the wider education sector receives a combined national allocation of 168 million USD. However, lawmakers argued that despite these multimillion-dollar allocations, little progress has been made toward addressing the worsening conditions faced by frontline educators across the country.
Several senators expressed deep frustration over what they described as the government’s slow, bureaucratic response to absorbing these essential workers onto the national payroll. According to lawmakers, many educators, especially those assigned to remote and underserved counties, continue to teach for years without salaries, a reality that directly risks the quality of instruction provided to thousands of Liberian students.
The issue remains particularly severe in rural communities where volunteer teachers are often the sole backbone of classroom instruction. In many interior counties, these educators keep schools functioning daily despite lacking proper salaries, teaching materials, adequate transportation, and decent working conditions. Education observers say the disclosure exposes long-standing failures within Liberia’s public education management, including inadequate funding mechanisms, poor workforce planning, and weak policy implementation. Critics argue that successive administrations have repeatedly promised comprehensive education reform, yet conditions for teachers on the ground continue to deteriorate.
Stakeholders in the education sector have also warned that the continued neglect of volunteer teachers could severely undermine student performance and long-term national development. Many believe the country risks producing another generation of poorly prepared youth if authorities fail to prioritize teacher welfare and strategic investment in public schools.
The Senate’s latest probe comes amid increasing public pressure on the Boakai administration to improve essential social services and address growing hardships within key sectors, including both health and education. Citizens and civil society groups continue to demand transparent accountability over how national resources are being managed. As the legislative debate intensifies, many Liberians are waiting to see whether the government will take immediate, concrete action to place these 6,198 volunteer teachers on the payroll, or whether the financial crisis will continue to deepen across the country’s struggling school system.
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