By: Jacob Kermue
Bong County: The Centre for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL) has concluded an intensive one-day training in Gbarnga aimed at strengthening integrity and promoting accountability in classrooms across rural Liberia.
The event was convened on November 24, 2025 at the Geetas Conference Hall, brought together education stakeholders amid growing concerns about misconduct in the school system.
The session focused on the Teachers’ Code of Conduct and the Education Reform Act of 2011—two major governance tools that officials say are poorly applied nationwide.
CENTAL noted that cases of bribery for grades, sexual exploitation, and coercive labour continue to surface in schools, prompting a renewed call for enforcement and awareness.
According to Torwon F. Gensee, CENTAL’s project manager, the training forms part of a three-year initiative titled Strengthening Political Governance and Accountability in Liberia.
The project is funded by the Embassy of Ireland and implemented in collaboration with NAYMOTE Partners for Democratic Development and the Centre for Democratic Governance (CDG).
Mr Gensee said the workshop followed consultations with local education authorities in Bong County who highlighted persistent violations of the Code of Conduct.
“We realised that the code is not being fully enforced,” he explained. “Teachers are still having relationships with students, taking bribes and engaging students on their farms in exchange for grades. These are clear violations.”
He stressed that CENTAL does not believe educators are wilfully ignoring the rules but suggested that inadequate awareness may be contributing to ongoing problems.
The training, he said, aims to strengthen participants’ understanding of the Code and create a unified push for ethical behaviour in schools.Thirty participants took part in the workshop, including students, community representatives, parent-teacher associations, school administrators, principals’ associations, and officials from the Ministry of Education.
CENTAL said this mix of voices was vital to mobilising broad community support for transparency and reform.The programme will move next to Margibi County as part of CENTAL’s nationwide effort to restore integrity to Liberia’s education sector. Although the training lasted only a day, the organisation has promised follow-up monitoring to ensure the lessons are applied.
“Implementation will show whether the knowledge gained is actually put to use,” Mr Gensee noted.
He warned that Liberia cannot improve its education system without accountability. If students grow up believing corruption is acceptable, he argued, the country risks producing future leaders who perpetuate the same behaviour.
Mr Gensee added that CENTAL’s current intervention aligns with its long-standing advocacy to safeguard the credibility of Liberia’s public institutions, particularly the education sector, which serves as a foundation for national development.Philip Lepolu Mulbah, president of the Bong Chapter of the National Association of School Principals, described the training as timely and essential.
“Our character matters,” he said. “Most of us may look good on the outside, but we must be better inside. Too many violations are occurring among teachers.”
Mr Mulbah said the session helped clarify many issues commonly raised by school staff and expressed confidence in his ability to further educate colleagues on the Code of Conduct.
“A violation in the classroom harms the whole school,” he said, urging teachers to take the training seriously.He urged participants not to treat the workshop as a routine exercise. “A poor education system leads to a troubled country,” he warned. “Implementing the Code is crucial for a better future.”
Emmanuel T. Nyuateh, a representative of the Ministry of Education in Bong County, echoed those concerns and underscored the need for schools—public and private—to teach the Code of Conduct.
He cautioned that sex-for-grades, bribery and related misconduct would continue to attract disciplinary action. “It is prohibited at all levels,” he emphasized.Mr Nyuateh also encouraged CENTAL to broaden its anti-corruption work beyond the education sector, describing corruption as a widespread issue that undermines governance and public trust across Liberia.
CENTAL, meanwhile, has extended appreciation to the Embassy of Ireland for its financial support. The organisation says it will continue to champion transparency and accountability until ethical practices become standard in Liberia’s schools and public sector.
