MONROVIA – Liberia’s officials preach faith in national institutions, yet many educate their children abroad. Mohammed Salue Sy put that contradiction before the whole country at a high school commencement. At the St. Simeon Baptist School System, he asked why leaders choose Duke, Oxford and London while public schools leak. His answer was pointed: leaders who share the classroom will fix the classroom. Sy also honored unpaid teachers, threatened journalists, overworked nurses and dawn-rising market women. He warned graduates that corruption and toxic politics are stealing their future. His remedy was integrity before ambition, and self-building before politics. As THE ANALYST reports, the speech turns a graduation into an indictment of elite disengagement from Liberian schools.
Commencement speaker Mohammed Salue Sy has called on Liberia’s government officials, from the President to ministers, lawmakers, directors and managers, to enroll their children in Liberian schools and universities rather than institutions abroad, arguing that leaders who trust local institutions will improve them.
Sy made the plea on Friday, October 30, 2026, while delivering the keynote address at the commencement of the St. Simeon Baptist School System on the Capitol Bye-Pass in Monrovia, under the theme “The Future Is in Your Hands: A Call to Integrity, Diligence and Gratitude.”
“Why do you send your children to schools in America and London while you expect the rest of us to send our children to schools here in Liberia?”
Sy asked. He urged the Class of 2025/2026, which he called “The Achievers,” to choose integrity over corruption, honor their parents and teachers, avoid toxic politics, and build themselves first.
The ceremony was attended by Rev. Attorney Samuel F. Dakana, Chairman of the Board of Trustees; Madam Precious T. Bropleh, Co-Chair; the Principal, Mr. Alexander Lormine Charles Moore; the Vice Principal for Instruction and members of the instructional staff; as well as parents, guardians, family members, loved ones, and the graduating class.
Sy recalled that, 13 years ago, he sat in Trinity Cathedral on Broad Street as a student graduating from the hallowed walls of the B.W. Harris Episcopal School System.
“My memory of the graduation ceremony is still as fresh as ever. Just imagine at that moment, I was among over 50 graduating students who were being spoken to by a commencement speaker,” he said.
“Today, looking back on that event, the situation is reversed. This means that today’s event is a day of celebration, a day of victory but also a day to witness the birth of a new generation of thinkers and change makers.”
Congratulating the graduates, properly adorned in their caps and gowns, Sy told them they had crossed a finish line that many started but not all could reach. “This noble institution is proud of your academic milestone. And very importantly, your families who sacrificed so much to see this day are bursting with pride,” he said.
He added that he wanted to share a few words with them “not just as a keynote speaker but as a young man who firmly believes in the potential of Liberia and the power of young graduates like you.”
Parents: The Silent Heroes
Sy began on a personal note, asking the graduates to look at their parents, guardians, aunties, uncles, and whoever was present representing their families. “Do you see the excitement on their faces? Do you also see the lines on their foreheads? The weariness in their eyes? The calluses on their hands?” he asked. “The road to this graduation was not easy for them. It was not easy at all.”
He told the graduates that many of their parents woke up before sunrise to sell in the Rally Town Market, just five minutes away from the school, to fend in the hot sun and hustle in the streets just to make sure they had school fees. “Many of them went to bed hungry so that you could eat and study. Many of them wore the same clothes for years so that you could have uniforms and books,” Sy said. “Some of them walked miles in the rain to attend PTA meetings. Some of them borrowed money they are still struggling to repay.”
Sy noted that there were nights when parents did not know where the next meal would come from, but they still told their children, “Go and study. Don’t panic about anything.” He said there were moments when they wanted to give up, when the weight of poverty and hardship pressed down on them like a heavy load, but they looked at their children as their hope and kept going.
“Your parents are the true heroes. They may not have degrees. They may not have money. But they have something more valuable than gold, silver and the very scarce diamond,” Sy declared. He urged the graduates, upon receiving their diplomas, to think of the mother who cried tears of joy when they passed their exams, the father who worked double shifts to pay their fees, and the parents who sold their precious items to support their academic sojourn at the school.
Teachers: Liberia’s Unsung Heroes
Turning to the teachers, Sy asked the graduates to look at them, “some of them in clothes that are old, some of them who walked miles to be here today, some of them who have not received a proper salary in months but yet continue to mold the minds.” He stated that teachers in Liberia are among the poorest professionals in the nation.
“Many of them go for months without pay. Many of them teach under trees because there are no classrooms. Many of them buy chalk, books, and materials from their own meager earnings,” Sy said. “Many of them walk to school in the hot sun or the pouring rain because they cannot afford transportation. Many of them go home after a long day of teaching to face their own hungry children, wondering how they will feed them.”
Asked why they persist, Sy answered his own question. “Because they believe in you. Because they believe that education is the key to Liberia’s future. Because they know that the seeds they plant in your minds today will grow into the national leaders and change makers for tomorrow,” he said.
Sy said he knows teachers in the country who have not been paid for six months yet still stand before their students and teach with passion, and teachers who use their own money to buy books for students who cannot afford them.
He added that he knows teachers who stay after school to tutor struggling students without asking for a single cent, and teachers who walk 10 miles to reach a rural school because they know those children deserve an education too. “Do not forget them. Honor them. Thank them. And one day, when you have succeeded, remember the teachers who helped you get there,” he urged.
St. Simeon’s Untold Success Story
Sy then turned to what he called “the unbreakable, enviable and untold story” of the St. Simeon Baptist School System. He honored young people from the remotest parts of the country, “from places so far away, so forgotten, that many Liberians in Monrovia do not even know their names,” and recalled an earlier generation of St. Simeon Baptist High School students who “raised the flag very high.”
He named among them Peter K. Ndebeh, Kagoma Dukuly, Boakai H. Sesay, Thomas Howe, George Williams, George Gwion, and many others. “Those were brilliant minds that did not come from the Sinkor of Monrovia neither the Broad Street of Central Town nor the Congo Town but originally coming from Massabolahun, Fangonda, Gonkartee, Yarkpazua,” Sy said.
In the same historical reflection, he noted that some of the current graduates may come from a small village in Lofa County where there is no clinic, no electricity, and no mobile network, but who still dream of pursuing education in Monrovia. He also spoke of the young person who studied by the light of a kerosene lamp in Sehtontuo in Nimba County, one of Liberia’s poorest communities, where the only road in and out is accessible exclusively by foot or motorbike.
“You are indeed the true heroes and heroines not because you are famous or wealthy but because you refused to give up,” Sy told them. “But because you believed that education was worth the sacrifice. But because you carried the hopes of your families and your communities on your shoulders, and you did not drop them.”
Poor Professionals Who Serve Honorably
Sy urged the graduates to look beyond the hall and see the many Liberians who serve the nation with dedication, integrity, and sacrifice even though they are poor, underpaid, and often forgotten.
He singled out journalists, many of whom he said work for little or no pay and risk their safety to report the truth. “They expose corruption, injustice, and wrongdoing not because they are paid well but because they believe in a free and fair Liberia,” he said.
“Some of them have been threatened. Some have been attacked. Some have lost their jobs because they refused to be silenced,” Sy continued. “Yet, they continue to write. They continue to speak. They continue to shine light in dark places. These journalists are heroes. They are the watchdogs of our democracy, and they deserve our respect and support.”
He described educators, from the village school teacher to the university lecturer, as people who pour their lives into shaping the next generation.
“Many of them go without pay for months. Many of them use their own money to buy supplies. Many of them walk miles to reach their students. Yet, they continue to teach. They continue to mentor. They continue to inspire,” Sy said. “These educators are heroes. They are the architects of Liberia’s future, and they deserve our gratitude and our investment.”
Sy also praised doctors and nurses who serve in clinics and hospitals that lack basic supplies, including gloves, medicine, and electricity.
“They work long hours in tedious conditions. They risk their own health to save others. Some of them have not been paid in months. Yet, they show up. They treat patients. They save lives,” he stated. “These doctors and nurses are heroes. They are the uncompromising gatekeepers of our nation’s health and they deserve our honor and our support.”
He paid tribute to market women, “our mothers and grandmothers who sell in the markets, who wake up as early as 4 A.M. to buy goods, who sit in the sun all day to earn a little money to send their children to school.” Sy noted that they are not paid a salary, have no benefits, and have no job security. “Yet, they persevere. They sacrifice. They hope. These market women are heroes. They are the engine of our local economy, and they deserve our respect and our support,” he said.
“Graduates, these are the people who hold Liberia together. They are not rich. They are not famous. They are not powerful as the statesmen at the House of Legislature, at the Executive Branch and the Judiciary,” Sy declared. “But they are faithful. They are diligent. They are honest. And they are the reason why our nation continues to hope.”
He urged the graduates, when they become leaders, to remember the journalists who spoke truth when it was dangerous, the educators who taught when they were not paid, the doctors who healed when they had no medicine, the civil servants who served when they were overlooked, the farmers who fed them when they were hungry, and the market women who sacrificed so that they could study.
“These are the true heroes of Liberia. And you, Class of 2025/2026, ‘The Achievers,’ are called to be like them,” Sy said, urging them to serve with integrity, work with diligence, and give with generosity, no matter how little they have.
From Poverty to National Leadership
Sy told the graduates that some of them might be thinking their situation is too hard, their families too poor, or that no one in their family has ever become anybody. “I want to tell you today. That is a grand fallacy from the enemy. Your background does not determine your future. Your parents’ poverty does not dictate your destiny,” he said, pointing to two Liberians from humble beginnings who rose to greatness.
He cited former President George M. Weah, Sr., who he said was born in Clara Town, a slum built on a swamp in Monrovia, and played football on sand and in harsh conditions. “He did not even finish high school until he was in his forties. Yet, through discipline, hard work, and faith, he became the first and only African player to win the Ballon d’Or and FIFA World Player of the Year,” Sy said. “And later, he became President of Liberia. From a swamp in Clara Town to the Executive Mansion.”
Sy then cited President Joseph Nyuma Boakai, who he said was born to poor peasants in the remote village of Wasonga in Lofa County and walked over 300 miles, “as we have been told and read about,” from his village to Monrovia in search of an education. According to Sy, when Boakai finally reached the city, he worked as a janitor at the College of West Africa (CWA) to pay his way through school, sold books and uniforms, and slept in dormitories during vacations to survive.
“Yet, he graduated, earned a university degree, and rose to become Vice President and later President of Liberia. A janitor became a president,” Sy said. “That is the power of a studious mind and an unbreakable spirit.”
Plea to Trust Liberian Institutions
Pausing to address what he described as a matter weighing heavily on his heart, Sy made what he called a humble plea to government officials, “respectfully beginning from the President to the ministers, from the senators to the representatives, from the directors to the managers and all those of public positions of influence.” He said he spoke with all respect and love for the country.
“Why do your children attend the Duke University, the London School of Economics, the Chicago School of Public Policy and Oxford while our children attend schools with leaking roofs and no textbooks?” Sy asked. “Why do your children study in air-conditioned classrooms abroad while our children sit on bare floors under trees? Why do you spend thousands of dollars on foreign tuition while our teachers go unpaid for months?”
“I am not saying this to shame anyone. I am saying this because I love Liberia. I believe in Liberia. And I believe that if our leaders trusted our own institutions then our institutions would improve,” he stated.
Sy said he wants to see the children of government officials at William V.S. Tubman High School, G.W. Gibson High School, the University of Liberia (UL), the United Methodist University (UMU), the African Methodist Episcopal University (AMEU), and Cuttington University in Suakoko. “Why? Because when your children attend these schools, you will have a personal stake in their success,” he said.
“You will fight for better funding because your own child needs books. You will fight for better teachers because your own child needs quality instruction. You will fight for better infrastructure because your own child needs a safe learning environment. You will fight for accountability because your own child’s future depends on it,” Sy added.
He argued that when leaders send their children abroad, they become disconnected from the struggles of ordinary Liberians. “They no longer feel the pain of broken desks and missing chalk. They no longer understand the frustration of unpaid teachers and overcrowded classrooms. They no longer see the urgency of reform because their own children are safe in foreign lands,” he said.
“But if your children were here, sitting in the same classrooms as our children, you would move mountains to fix our schools. You would ensure that budgets are released on time. You would ensure that teachers are paid fairly. You would ensure that every child, rich or poor, has access to quality education,” Sy declared.
“Liberia needs leaders who believe in Liberia. Liberia needs leaders who trust our institutions enough to entrust their own children to them. Liberia needs leaders who will build our schools, our universities, and our future not just for the poor, but for their own families too,” he continued.
Sy stressed that his remarks were not a criticism but a plea. “It is a call to action. It is a challenge to our leaders. Let’s believe in Liberia enough to invest in Liberia. Trust our schools enough to send your children there. And watch how quickly our education system transforms,” he said. “Because when the children of the powerful elites sit beside the children of the poor, something beautiful happens. Justice happens. Equity happens. Progress happens.”
Corruption and the Choice for Integrity
Sy told the graduates he must speak about something serious that threatens the very future and survival of Liberia. “You are graduating into a nation that has great beauty but also great challenges. We have rivers full of fish, soil rich for farming, minerals beneath our feet, and a people with talents that could light up the world. Yet, our nation struggles,” he said. “Why? There are many reasons, but one of the greatest is corruption.”
“Corruption is like a thief in the night. It steals from the poor to enrich the few. It takes money meant for schools and puts it in private pockets. It takes medicine meant for hospitals and sells it in the black market. It takes jobs meant for qualified people and gives them to relatives and friends. It takes our dreams and replaces them with disappointment,” Sy declared.
“Corruption is why our roads remain broken while money for repairs disappears. Corruption is why our schools lack materials while budgets vanish. Corruption is why our young people struggle to find work while positions are sold to the highest bidder,” he continued.
Sy stated that the painful truth is that corruption is not just in government. “It is in our homes, our churches, mosques, our schools, and our communities. It is when we cheat on exams. It is when we bribe to get ahead. It is when we take what is not ours. It is when we stay silent while others do wrong,” he said. He told the Class of 2025/2026 that they were standing at a crossroads, with two paths before them.
He described one as the path of the crowd, “the path where you say, ‘Everybody is doing it, so I will do it too,'” which he noted the English call the “bandwagon.” It is the path, he said, where people take shortcuts, cheat, lie, and steal because “that is how things work in Liberia,” and become part of the problem.
“The other path is the path of integrity. The path where you say, ‘I will be different.’ The path where you stand for truth, honesty, and hard work. The path where you refuse to be bought, refuse to be corrupted, refuse to compromise your values. The path where you become part of the solution,” Sy said. “I beg you today to choose the path of integrity.”
He defined integrity as doing the right thing even when no one is watching. “It means keeping your word. It means being honest in your exams, your work, and your relationships. It means refusing to take what is not yours. It means standing up for what is right, even when it is unpopular. It means being trustworthy, reliable, and principled,” he explained.
Sy cautioned that integrity is not easy. “In a world that rewards shortcuts, integrity will sometimes make you lose. You may lose a job because you refused to bribe. You may lose friends because you refused to cheat. You may face criticism, mockery, and rejection,” he said.
“But I promise you this: Integrity is the only path to lasting success. The person who gains the whole world through corruption but loses their soul has gained nothing,” Sy stated. “But the person who walks in integrity, even through hardship, will earn something more valuable than money: respect, peace, and the blessing of God.”
Citing Proverbs 11:3, Sy quoted the Bible: “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity.” He urged, “Let integrity be your guide. Let it be the compass that directs your steps. And as you walk in integrity, you will become the light that Liberia desperately needs.”
The Pillars of Liberia’s Future
Sy told the graduates they were not just graduating for themselves but for Liberia. “The future of our nation, its growth, its development, its reputation among the community of nations rests squarely on your shoulders. And the foundation of that future is integrity,” he said.
“Think about it. A nation is not built by its buildings, its roads, or its natural resources. A nation is built by its people. And the character of a nation is the character of its citizens,” he continued.
“When young people like you choose integrity over corruption, you are not just making a personal choice; you are building a nation. You are creating a Liberia where businesses can thrive because contracts are honored. You are creating a Liberia where investors can trust because deals are transparent,” Sy said. “You are creating a Liberia where the poor can hope because resources are not stolen. You are creating a Liberia where merit matters more than connections. Integrity is the foundation of national growth and development.”
He pointed to countries that have developed rapidly or are steadily developing, such as Rwanda, Singapore, Ivory Coast, Ghana, and others. “What do they have in common? They made a conscious decision to fight corruption and embrace integrity. They decided that the nation’s progress was more important than individual greed. Liberia can do the same. But it must start with you,” Sy said.
He urged the St. Simeon graduates to be the generation that says, “Enough is enough. We will not continue the cycle of corruption. We will build a new Liberia founded on honesty, transparency, and accountability.” Sy reminded them that when they enter university and the workforce, start businesses, and become leaders, their integrity will not be just about them. “It is about the school children who will look up to you. It is about the mothers who will trust you with their savings. It is about the fathers who will vote for you. It is about the entire nation that will rise or fall based on the choices of your generation,” he said.
The University and Beyond
Sy sought to correct what he called a misconception among many young people that finishing high school means their education is complete. “Let me tell you the truth: Your life journey is just beginning. High school was the preparation. University, vocational training, the workforce: these are where the real journey starts,” he said.
“This diploma you will receive today is not a destination; it is a passport. It is a key that opens doors, but you must still walk through those doors and continue the journey,” he stated. Sy noted that some graduates will go to the University of Liberia on Capitol Hill, Cuttington University, the United Methodist University, the African Methodist Episcopal University, and other universities, colleges, and vocational institutions across the country and beyond. “Wherever you go, remember this: The person you become at university is the person you will be for the rest of your life,” he said.
Build Yourself Before Politics
Sy also addressed what he described as a very important matter: the attraction of politics for many young Liberians. He said many young people see politics as a quick path to money, power, and influence, and see politicians with big cars and big houses and want the same. “But let me give you a strong warning today: Liberian politics is becoming toxic,” he declared.
“Our political landscape is increasingly characterized by division, hatred, tribalism, and violence. Politicians use young people to fight their battles, to spread lies, to intimidate opponents, and to perpetuate corruption. Many young people have been used, discarded, and destroyed by the political system,” Sy said.
“You see it on social media. You see it in the streets. You see it in the way people insult each other’s tribes, parties, and families,” he continued. “This is not the Liberia our founding fathers dreamed of. This is not the Liberia that your parents sacrificed for. This is not the Liberia that God wants us to build.”
Sy urged the graduates not to rush into politics. “Your primary focus now should be building yourself. Go to university. Earn your degree. Develop your skills. Start your career. Build your business. Establish yourself. Become somebody first,” he said.
“When you have something to offer, when you have education, experience, integrity, and a track record of service, then you can consider politics. And even then, enter politics with the right motives: not to enrich yourself, not to oppress others, not to divide the nation, but to serve,” Sy stated. “To serve your community. To serve your country. To serve God.”
He reminded the Class of 2025/2026 that they were graduating from a school built on Christian values, on faith, and on a commitment to excellence. “Do not let that foundation go to waste. Take the lessons you have learned here, both academic and spiritual, and build upon them,” he urged. “Be the students who continue to grow, who continue to seek wisdom, who continue to develop themselves for the glory of God and the service of humanity.”
A Final Charge: Be Different
In his final charge, Sy urged the graduates to honor their parents, remember their sacrifice, and make them proud. “Be the child who returns home one day to tell them, ‘Thank you. Because of you, I made it,'” he said. He also asked them to honor their teachers, especially those who sacrificed so much despite their own poverty, to be grateful, and one day to give back to education so that other children can have the same opportunity.
He charged them to honor the unsung heroes, the journalists who spoke truth, the doctors who healed, the civil servants who served, the farmers who fed them, and the market women who sacrificed, and to be like them: faithful, diligent, and honest, no matter how little they have. Sy again urged them to avoid toxic politics, focus on building themselves first, pursue meaningful career paths, and become somebody before entering politics, if they choose, with integrity and purpose.
“Believe in Liberia. Love your country enough to invest in it. Support our schools, our universities, our institutions. And one day, when you are in positions of influence, send your children to Liberian schools. Trust our system. Build our system. Improve our system,” he said.
“And finally, do not forget God. Your school is named after St. Simeon, a man who was faithful and devoted. Like him, be faithful. Trust God. Seek His guidance. Walk in His ways. He will direct your path,” Sy told the graduates.
Bai T. Moore’s Leadership Poem
Sy closed with the words of a poem he attributed to Bai T. Moore, whom he described as one of Liberia’s greatest poets, titled “That I May Lead Them Well.” He described it as a prayer, a commitment, and a vision for leadership that is not about personal glory but about service, about being prepared spiritually, mentally, and morally to guide others with wisdom and integrity.
“This is my prayer for you today. Whether you become a teacher, a doctor, a journalist, an engineer, a pastor, a business owner, or yes, even a politician, may you lead well. May you lead with honesty. May you lead with courage. May you lead with love for your people and fear of God,” Sy said.
“‘That I May Lead Them Well’ is not just a poem for presidents and senators. It is a poem for every young person who will influence a family, a community, a church, a classroom, or a nation. It is a poem for you,” he added. “Let its spirit settle in your heart. Let it remind you that true leadership begins with character, and true success is measured by the lives you touch and the difference you make.”
A Proverb and a Blessing
Before closing, Sy shared a Liberian proverb: “The day you see a chicken with teeth, that is the day you know the world has changed.” He explained that as long as people continue to do things the old way, the way of corruption, laziness, and dishonesty, nothing will change.
“But if you, the young people, decide to be different, if you, the ‘chickens,’ grow teeth, then the world will change. Liberia will change. You are the chickens with teeth. You are the generation that will change the world,” Sy declared.
He ended with a blessing for the graduates. “May God bless you, guide you, and keep you. May He make His face shine upon you and give you peace. May He grant you favor and success in all your endeavors. Congratulations to you graduates. We are proud of you! God bless St. Simeon Baptist School System! God bless the Class of 2025/2026! God bless Liberia! Thank you,” Sy concluded.