Bility Demands Education Plan -CMC leader decries students’ street protests

MONROVIA – Students marching through the streets to demand classes are the clearest sign that Liberia’s education system has lost its footing. Representative Musa Hassan Bility says the blame cannot rest on one ministry alone. He points to unresolved salary and administrative disputes. The Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) leader is pressing President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to end the disputes disrupting public schools. He wants a costed Education Master Plan covering every level of schooling and every county. But Bility also turns the mirror on his own Legislature, faulting hearings that become platforms for political speeches. His central warning cuts deep. Poor children’s schooling should never depend on their ability to protest. THE ANALYST reports.

Nimba County District #7 Representative and Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) Political Leader Musa Hassan Bility has called on President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and his government to resolve the grievances disrupting public schools, restore classroom instruction and provide a clear timetable for recovering lost learning time.

Describing the sight of students taking to the streets to demand an opportunity to learn as deeply troubling, Bility said their frustration reflects a failure to give education the urgency it deserves.

“Children should never bear the consequences of unresolved administrative and salary disputes,” the CMC leader declared. He urged the President to act decisively, insisting that young people deserve functioning schools, supported teachers and a government that treats their future as a national priority.

Legislature Must Do More

Bility also challenged the National Legislature to go beyond hearings that become platforms for political speeches. Lawmakers’ responsibility, he stated, is to examine the failures across the education system, establish what must change and ensure that public resources deliver results, adding that the Legislature cannot demand accountability from the Ministry of Education while failing to provide the funding necessary to meet agreed national priorities.

The lawmaker disclosed that he had urged the Minister of Education to work with her team and relevant institutions to present a comprehensive, publicly accessible Education Master Plan for the remaining three years of the administration.

Building on existing sector plans, he said, the plan must cover nursery and kindergarten through primary, secondary, technical, vocational and tertiary education.

Costed Targets for Every County

According to Bility, the plan must identify teacher needs, school infrastructure, learning materials, access and affordability, with clear costs, annual targets, responsible institutions and timelines for every county. Every community, he argued, deserves to know what improvements to expect and when.

Once the plan is adopted, Bility said, the Legislature must commit to funding it, and the Executive must release and properly manage the resources. Where funds are appropriated and released but commitments remain unmet, he warned, those responsible must answer.

Bility maintained that Liberia’s mineral wealth and national budget must translate into opportunity for its children. Families with means can find alternatives, he observed, while poor mothers and fathers often cannot.

“Their children’s education must never depend on their ability to protest,” he stated, describing education as the bedrock of the country’s development.