Students studying by candlelight in Bong County, Liberia.
Education in Liberia was severely affected by the First Liberian Civil War and Second Liberian Civil War, between 1989 and 2003. In 2010, the literacy rate of Liberia was estimated at 60.8% (64.80% for males and 56.8% for females).
Aid to Basic Education, the amount of bilateral and multilateral aid contributed or received by Liberia (source: UNESCO)
Education in Liberia is free for primary students attending a government school, but most of these schools lack adequate learning facilities. Most parents prefer sending their kids to private schools, which are often very expensive for the average Liberian.
The country operates on a 6-3-3 system.
The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)[1] finds that Liberia is fulfilling only 35.9% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income.[2] HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration Liberia's income level, the nation is achieving 45.7% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education but only 26.1% for secondary education.[3]
The Liberia Primary School Certificate Examination is coordinated in government-funded schools (and many private schools) by the West African Examinations Council.[4]
Higher education is provided by a number of public and private universities. The University of Liberia is the country's largest and oldest university. Located in Monrovia, the university opened in 1862 and today has six colleges, including a medical school and the nation's only law school, the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.
In 2009, Tubman University in Harper, Maryland County became the second public university in Liberia. Cuttington University, established by the Episcopal Church of the USA in 1889 in Suakoko, Bong County, is the nation's oldest private university. Since 2006, the government has also opened community colleges in Buchanan, Sanniquellie, Voinjama, and many other County headquarters.
In addition to the above-named colleges, there also exist:
African Methodist Episcopal Zion University (AMEZU)
African Bible College University (ABCU)
Liberia International Christian College (LICC)
Nimba County University College (NCUC)
These universities are greatly contributing to the higher education needs in Liberia. They have produced students that are working with international organizations such as the UN, international banking institutions, government, and other local institutions. Some are pursuing graduate degrees abroad due to limited graduate programs in the country. For example, while there is an undergraduate program in sociology at all of these universities, there is no graduate program for students wanting to pursue a graduate degree in sociology.
The following are disciplines in which undergraduate degrees are being offered: Sociology, geology, political science, history, biology, chemistry, economics. accounting, management, education, journalism, civil engineering, physics, mathematics, English, geography, social work, nursing, architectural engineering, rural development, laboratory technology, theology, general science, and agriculture. Some of these disciplines are only being offered at a single university. For example, Social Work is only being offered as a degree at the United Methodist University (UMU) and Mother Pattern College of Health Sciences, which falls under Don Bosco Polytechnic.
The University of Liberia offers graduate degrees in education, regional planning, international relations, and public administration, while Cuttington University is offering graduate degrees in education, Public Health, Business administration, Management, Public administration, and nursing education. The additional colleges do not have no graduate programs.
Liberia has three public Rural Teacher Training Institutes in Webbo, Kakata, and Zorzor.
In Liberia's education system, patronage and bribery by administrators, professors, and students are widely reported.[6][7] Abuse of resources, teacher absenteeism, and sex for grades are common.[8][9] A culture of silence prevents reporting of problems and hence any constructive reform.[10][11]
In 2013, a confidential anonymous SMS suggestions box for students and educators began to operate in elements of Liberia's education system, in order to report systemic abuses.[12]
Related Research Articles
Education in Nepal has been modeled on the Indian system, which is in turn the legacy of the old British Raj. The National Examinations Board (NEB) supervises all standardized tests. The Ministry of Education is responsible for managing educational activities in Nepal. The National Center for Educational Development (NCED) is Nepal's teacher-training body.
Education in Sri Lanka has a long history that dates back two millennia. While the Constitution of Sri Lanka does not provide free education as a fundamental right, the constitution mentions that 'the complete eradication of illiteracy and the assurance to all persons of the right to universal and equal access to education at all levels" in its section on directive principles of state policy at (27. Sri Lanka's population had an adult literacy rate of 96.3% in 2015, which is above average by world and regional standards. Computer literacy in 2017 28.3% and phone users in 2017 105%, website users 32% in 2017. Education plays a major part in the life and culture of the country, which dates back to 543 BC. Sri Lanka's modern educational system modeled after Christian missionary system was brought about by its integration into the British Empire in the 19th century. Education currently falls under the control of both the Central Government and the Provincial Councils, with some responsibilities lying with the Central Government and the Provincial Council having autonomy for others.
Education in Montenegro is regulated by the Ministry of Education and Science of Government of Montenegro.
Cuttington University is a private university in Suacoco, Liberia. Founded in 1889 as Cuttington College by the Episcopal Church of the United States (ECUSA), it is the oldest private, coeducational, four-year, degree-granting institution in sub-Saharan Africa.
Education in Chad is challenging due to the nation's dispersed population and a certain degree of reluctance on the part of parents to send their children to school. Although attendance is compulsory, only 68% of boys continue their education past primary school, and over half of the population is illiterate. Higher education is provided at the University of N'Djamena.
Education in Kyrgyzstan is compulsory for nine years, between ages seven and 15. Following four years of primary and five years of lower secondary school, the system offers two years of upper secondary school, specialized secondary school, or vocational/technical school.
Education in Tajikistan consists of four years of primary school followed by two stages of secondary school. Attendance at school is mandatory from age seven to seventeen. In accordance with the Law on Higher Education and Professional Postgraduate Education the country provides for the following levels of higher education:
Western-style education was introduced to Bhutan during the reign of Ugyen Wangchuck (1907–26). Until the 1950s, the only formal education available to Bhutanese students, except for private schools in Ha and Bumthang, was through Buddhist monasteries. In the 1950s, several private secular schools were established without government support, and several others were established in major district towns with government backing. By the late 1950s, there were twenty-nine government and thirty private primary schools, but only about 2,500 children were enrolled. Secondary education was available only in India. Eventually, the private schools were taken under government supervision to raise the quality of education provided. Although some primary schools in remote areas had to be closed because of low attendance, the most significant modern developments in education came during the period of the First Development Plan (1961–66), when some 108 schools were operating and 15,000 students were enrolled.
Education in Ivory Coast continues to face many challenges. Among sub-Saharan African countries, Ivory Coast has one of the highest literacy rates. According to The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency as of facts. The literacy rate for adults remains low: in 2000, it was estimated that only 48.7% of the total population was literate. Many children between 6 and 10 years are not enrolled in school, mainly children of poor families. The majority of students in secondary education are male. At the end of secondary education, students can sit the Baccalauréat examination. The country has universities in Abidjan, Bouaké, and Yamoussoukro.
Education in St. Lucia is primarily based on the British education system and is provided in public and private schools.
Benin has abolished school fees and is carrying out the recommendations of its 2007 Educational Forum. In 2018, the net primary enrollment rate was 97 percent. Gross enrollment rate in secondary education has greatly increased in the last two decades, from 21.8 percent in 2000 to 59 percent in 2016, 67.1 percent in the case of males and 50.7 percent for females. Because of a rapid increase in the enrollment rate, the student/teacher ratio rose from 36:1 in 1990 to 53:1 in 1997 but has dropped again in the last years to 39:1 (2018). In 2018, the gross enrollment ratio in tertiary education was 12.5%.
Education in Lesotho has undergone reforms in recent years, meaning that primary education is now free, universal, and compulsory.
Education in Sierra Leone is legally required for all children for six years at primary level and three years in junior secondary education, but a shortage of schools and teachers has made implementation impossible. The Sierra Leone Civil War resulted in the destruction of 1,270 primary schools and in 2001 67 percent of all school-age children were out of school. The situation has improved considerably since then with primary school enrollment doubling between 2001 and 2005 and the reconstruction of many schools since the end of the war. However, there is still a long ways to go. In 2004, Junior secondary school enrollment was only 17% of primary school enrollment, and senior secondary school enrollment was only 8% of primary school education.
Education in Eswatini includes pre-school, primary, secondary and high schools, for general education and training (GET), and universities and colleges at tertiary level.
Education in Kiribati is free and compulsory from age 6 to 14, which includes primary school through grade six, and Junior Secondary School for three additional grade levels. In 1998, the gross primary enrollment rate was 84.4 percent, and net primary enrollment rate was 70.7 percent. School quality and access to education are better in urban areas; schools in small communities on isolated islands are expensive to maintain. Mission schools are slowly being absorbed into the government primary school system.
The United Methodist University (UMU) is a private institution of higher learning located in Monrovia in the West African nation of Liberia. Established in 1998 and opened in 2000, the school had 9,118 students as of 2016. UMU is certified by the Liberian government's National Commission on Higher Education to grant both bachelor's and master's degrees.
Crime in Liberia is investigated by the Liberian police.
BismarckNormu Kuyon was a Liberian politician and educator. He was a legislator in the 1970s, and would return to politics during the First Liberian Civil War. In 1993, he was chosen by the warring factions to become the head of the executive of the Liberian National Transitional Government (LNTG), but his nomination was withdrawn before the LNTG was installed.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
