The Institute for Democratic Action & Development (IDAD) with funding from USAID held a Public Level Discussions and a Sub-national level Policy Dialogue at the Sparks Conference Hall in Ganta City, Nimba County with Education Stakeholders, CSOs, / CBOs, Local County Authorities, the media and Citizenry.

The Public Level Discussion, which was held on Wednesday, July 18, 2024, focused on the implementation of key legislation/policies that include the 2018 Local Government Act, the 2010 Freedom of Information Act, the 2018 Land Rights Act, the 2011 Education Reform Act, and the 2020 Revenue Sharing Act.

The objectives of the one-day gathering were to broaden citizens’ and stakeholders’ knowledge of key Legislation/Policies and advocate for reform, implementation and effective service delivery.

The National Policy Dialogue held on Thursday, July 19, 2024, was also intended for Education Stakeholders to reach a consensus on practical recommendations for the implementation on key legislation/ policies.

The sub-national level policy dialogue provided the platform for stakeholders to analyze, evaluate, assess, and scrutinize the Education Reform   Act, the Revenue Sharing Act, the Local Government Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Land Rights Act to identify drawbacks/challenges and to advocate for reform and implementation.
The two-day gathering brought together a total of 65 participants including the County Education Officer, the District Education Officer, Local Authorities, CSOs, CBOs and the media in Nimba County.
These events formed part of a project titled: “Advocacy for the Establishment of Regional CSOs Legal Clinics/Assistance Centers” in Montserrado and Nimba. The project seeks to strengthen CSOs/CBOs’ Capacities to advocate for policy reform and implementation.   It is funded by the United States Agency for International Development, (USAID).

The two-day gathering uncovered and highlighted some of the gaps, challenges and drawbacks related to the implementation of key provisions in the 2011 Education Reform Act, the 2018 Local Government Act, the 2010 Freedom of Information Act, the 2020 Revenue Sharing Act and the 2018 Land Rights Act.
Topics that were mainly discussed by the education stakeholders during the two-day event include the licensing of public-school teachers, the National Registry and Teachers’ Appraisal. Some stakeholders expressed that the licensing of public-school teachers will provide accurate information concerning the locations and qualifications of teachers in the country, and it will further provide information on the total database of the teachers in the country.