MONROVIA – Samuel D. Tweah Jr., fondly known amongst partisans at the great “Ideologue” was on a local radio, and his intervention was aimed at one central battlefield in Liberia’s political theater: who owns the record on debt, growth, and service delivery—the CDC or the Unity Party government. But beyond partisan defense, Tweah’s sharpest argument is technocratic: that Liberia’s development cannot be “built by concrete alone,” and that diluted academic standards and opaque compensation lines pose a long-term threat to governance and investment. The Analyst reports.
Former Finance Minister Samuel D. Tweah, Jr. has mounted a robust defense of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) record while urging sweeping reforms in education assessment, health service quality, and public sector transparency—warning that Liberia risks long-term stagnation if standards continue to decline and budget lines remain opaque.
Tweah spoke on Freedom Radio on Monday, January 12, 2026, describing education access gains during the CDC years as substantial but arguing that the country has sacrificed learning outcomes by lowering pass marks and tolerating grade inflation. He said reducing national thresholds to as low as 50 or 40 percent enables student progression without mastery, undermining national competitiveness.
He further alleged systemic grade inflation, saying he has personally reviewed university-level grades and reduced inflated scores, portraying it as a symptom of weak integrity controls in the education system.
On the CDC’s infrastructure claims, Tweah credited former President George M. Weah with building dozens of schools—early childhood and additional institutions including high schools—particularly in underserved districts.
He said the free tuition policy expanded enrollment in higher education, and highlighted distribution of roughly one million textbooks across core science and math subjects.
However, Tweah argued that infrastructure and materials do not automatically produce learning, and described teacher quality as a critical bottleneck.
He called for reforms to teacher compensation, monitoring, and accountability, and criticized a system where teachers both instruct and grade, alleging it fuels bribery and compromised outcomes.
As a solution, he proposed separating teaching from grading through externalized or standardized assessments and publicly challenged President Joseph N. Boakai to implement the reform.
On health, Tweah cited public concerns over poor patient experiences—referencing widely reported incidents as examples of system weakness—while insisting the CDC invested in facilities, including upgrading the 14 Military Hospital and constructing hospitals in southeastern Liberia.
He argued the next phase must focus on service quality, not merely physical access.
Tweah also defended public sector harmonization, citing salary increases for University of Liberia faculty, and rejected claims that the adjustments would be reversed.
A major portion of his remarks targeted public finance transparency. Tweah raised alarm over growth in a budget line he called “other compensation,” urging the Legislature, Ministry of Finance, and international partners to demand full disclosure and itemization through payroll systems to prevent misuse.
On macroeconomic claims, Tweah cited improved reserves and growth during the CDC period, and argued the administration should be credited for major infrastructure initiatives. He urged Liberians to judge policies by generational impact rather than election cycles, warning that diluted standards and opaque governance will lock the country into low skills and stalled progress.