By Wilmot Konah| +231775793638 | dadekolly20@gmail.com
Paynesville City — Renowned Liberian Educator and Proprietress of the Soltiamon Christian School System, Mrs. Tiangay Saba Koon Joah, is calling for legal action against the Government of Liberia over changes to the country’s education system, particularly the Ministry of Education’s ban on corporal punishment in schools. Mrs. Koon Joah made the call Friday, September 25, 2026, during the 21st Graduation Ceremony of the Soltiamon Christian School System at the Paynesville City Hall outside Monrovia.
She argues that the ban is undermining discipline and moral education, particularly in faith-based schools where traditional disciplinary methods have long been used to shape students’ behavior. She also expressed concern over changes to the national curriculum, saying some of the reforms do not adequately reflect the values and principles she believes should guide children’s education.
The Ministry of Education’s 2014 Code of Conduct for Teachers and School Administrators prohibits corporal punishment in schools and sets professional standards for the treatment and discipline of students.
Mrs. Koon Joah is questioning the Ministry’s authority to impose fines and other sanctions on schools for violating the ban, arguing that corporal punishment is not expressly established as a criminal offense under applicable law. She says the issue should therefore be tested in court.
“We intend to sue the Government of Liberia,” Mrs. Koon Joah said, urging parents, school operators and others who share her concerns to support the legal action. She furthered that the proposed lawsuit is intended to have the courts determine the legality of the Ministry’s regulations and address broader concerns about discipline and changes to the education system.
Providing a legal perspective, Attorney-At-Law Jeremiah Samuel Dugbo said Mrs. Koon Joah’s challenge would need to identify a specific statutory or constitutional provision that the Ministry’s regulation allegedly violates.
According to Atty. Dugbo, the Ministry of Education, as the sector regulator, has authority to issue regulations and policies governing educational practices, and a practice does not necessarily have to constitute a criminal offense before the Ministry can prohibit or regulate it.
He said any legal challenge should therefore focus on whether the Ministry’s prohibition on corporal punishment exceeds the Ministry’s legal authority or conflicts with an existing statutory or constitutional provision.
