The Institute for Democratic Action & Development, (IDAD) has held a one-day National Policy Dialogue on key education legislations/ policies at the Corina Hotel in Monrovia.

The Policy Dialogue on Wednesday, July 10, 2024, brought together 40 Education Stakeholders and Partners from USAID/ Liberia, relevant line Ministries, Agencies and Commissions including Civil Society and Community-based Organizations.
The one-day event forms part of the IDAD/USAID-supported project titled: Advocacy for the Establishment of Regional CSOs Legal Clinics/ Assistance Centers in Montserrado and Nimba Counties.

Providing the overview of the project’s targeted legislations, the Executive Director of IDAD, Joseph Cheayan stressed the significance of the gathering and the urgent need for policy reform and implementation of the key education legislations/ policies in the country.

Making special remarks during the one-day dialogue, the Superintendent of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), James Momoh highlighted the value of education in the growth and development of Liberia. Mr. Momoh noted that education is the surest to combat poverty and allow the citizenry to compete globally with their counterparts.

He indicated that given the challenges in the Country’s education sector, much is still needed to reform the educational system. He stated that to accelerate efforts and improve the system, budgetary support is needed. For his part, Samuel Quermorllue, USAID-CSA’s Regional Coordinator of Montserrado and Margibi Counties pointed out that there is a dire need for the functions of the Land Authority and the Center for National Records and documents to be defined, specified, and demarcated.

He observed that the two institutions are performing similar tasks in terms of land records and other related functions. The USAID-CSA Coordinator was contributing to the presentation made on the Land Rights Act by the Chairman of the Law Reform Commission, Cllr. Kanneh.

Also speaking, the Country Representative of Accountability Lab-Liberia, Mr. Lawrence Yealue thanked IDAD for the event and called for concerted efforts to ensure that there are policy reforms and implementations of the key education legislation and policies.

Yealue mentioned that Civil Society Organizations have a pivotal role in the developmental drive of any country.

He challenged Representatives of CSOs and CBOs to keep advocating for transparency and accountability in the Liberian Society.

In his remarks, the Program Manager, of the Center for Transparency and Accountability, Randall Markor lauded IDAD for the initiatives and urged representatives of CSOs to lead advocacy efforts aimed at reforming and implementing the key provisions of the education legislation and policies.

The essence of the one-day national Policy Dialogue involving Education Stakeholders in Montserrado County was intended for stakeholders to reach a consensus on practical recommendations for the implementation of Key legislations in the 2011 Education Reform Act, 2018 Local Governance Act, 2010 Freedom of Information Act, 2018, Revenue Sharing Act and Land Rights Act.

He observed that the two institutions are performing similar tasks in terms of land records and other related functions. The USAID-CSA Coordinator was contributing to the presentation made on the Land Rights Act by the Chairman of the Law Reform Commission, Cllr. Kanneh.

Additionally, the policy dialogue was meant to analyze, evaluate, assess, and scrutinize the Education Reform Act, Revenue Sharing Act, Local Government Act, Freedom of Information Act and Land Rights Act to identify drawbacks and challenges to advocate for reform and implementation.

The one-day National Policy Dialogue was facilitated by two legal experts: Cllr. Boakai N. Kanneh and Atty. Stephen B. Lavallah.

Cllr. Kanneh who is the current Chairman of the Law Reform Commission, delivered an insightful presentation on the Land Rights Act, while Atty. Lavallah, who is IDAD’s Legal Specialist, delivered impressive presentations on the Education Reform Act of 2011, the Revenue Sharing Law, and the Local Government Act of 2018.

These presentations guided stakeholders’ and partners’ discussions and derived practical recommendations that will inform policymaker’s engagement through the advocacy forum.