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COLED: NATIONAL EDUCATION REFORM POLICY 2026–2036
“The Human Capital Engine”
Date: October 25, 2025
Prepared by: Education Cluster

1.0 Executive Summary

The Government of Liberia recognizes that “growth without development”—where GDP increases due to extractive industries while human development stalls—is a threat to national stability (World Bank, 2024). To mirror Singapore’s economic transformation, Liberia must shift from a resource-based economy to a knowledge-based one. This policy, Vision 2050: The Human Capital Engine, creates the legal and institutional framework to streamline workforce planning, professionalize the teaching workforce, and enforce strict fiscal discipline within the education sector. It incorporates specific Singaporean mechanisms, such as the Council on Professional and Technical Education (CPTE) and the Skills Development Fund (SDF), adapting them to the Liberian context.

2.0 Problem Statement and Diagnostic

Despite a projected GDP growth of 5.8% in 2025, Liberia faces a human capital crisis that makes inclusive growth impossible (United Nations Country Team Liberia, 2024).

  • Learning Poverty: About 89% of children cannot read and understand a simple text by age 10. Grade 3 students average only 19.9 correct words per minute in reading fluency, which is well below the benchmark for comprehension (Wellesley Centers for Women, 2017; UNCT Liberia, 2024).
  • Teacher Crisis: 62% of public school teachers are unqualified, and the system suffers from “ghost teachers” and patronage appointments (WCW, 2017; Ministry of Education [MoE], 2024).
  • Skills Mismatch: Although the mining and agricultural sectors drive the economy, the education system still focuses more on humanities than on STEM and technical skills, creating a gap between graduates and labor market needs (Ministry of Labor, 2024).

3.0 Policy Objectives

  1. Centralize Manpower Planning: Connect education output directly to economic demand.
  2. Professionalize Teaching: Shift from a patronage system to a merit-based profession.
  3. Destigmatize and Fund TVET: Secure sustainable funding for Technical and Vocational Education and Training.
  4. Guarantee Integrity: Eliminate corruption in education funding.

4.0 Strategic Pillars

4.1 Pillar I: Governance – The Liberian Human Capital and Economic Council (LHCEC)

To mirror Singapore’s Council on Professional and Technical Education (CPTE), which successfully aligned student intake with national industrial needs (Liu, n.d.), the government will establish the Liberian Human Capital and Economic Council (LHCEC).

  • Mandate: The LHCEC is the top authority for human capital planning. It shall create a binding National Manpower Master Plan every five years.
  • Structure: Chaired by the President, with members including the Ministers of Education, Finance, Mines and Energy, Labor, and the Chair of the National Investment Commission (NIC).
  • Mechanism:
  • The LHCEC will use data from the Ministry of Labor’s Bureau of Employment to determine enrollment limits and quotas for all public universities and TVET institutions (Ministry of Labor, 2024).
  • State funding for higher education institutions will be strictly linked to these quotas. For instance, if the Master Plan identifies a shortage of heavy-duty mechanics for the mining sector, funding will be shifted from oversupplied humanities programs to technical faculties.

4.2 Pillar II: Teacher Quality – The National Institute of Teaching Excellence (NITE)

Singapore centralized all teacher training into the National Institute of Education (NIE) to ensure uniform quality (Brookings Institution, 2023). Liberia will adopt this model to address the crisis in Rural Teacher Training Institutes (RTTIs).

  • Establishment of NITE: The current RTTIs (Webbo, Kakata, Zorzor) will be consolidated into a single, semi-autonomous organization called the National Institute of Teaching Excellence (NITE). NITE will be the sole authority authorized to certify teachers in Liberia.
  • Curriculum Reform: NITE will implement a structured pedagogy approach. Since the baseline content knowledge is low, teachers will be trained using scripted lesson plans and standardized modules to ensure consistent delivery (Discover Education, 2025).
  • The “Grand Bargain” (Salaries): To attract top talent, teacher salaries for NITE-certified graduates will be linked to the Civil Service professional scale. A “Ghost Teacher” audit will finance this, using biometric verification to remove non-existent workers from the payroll, a problem identified as a significant drain on resources (MoE, B2024).

4.3 Pillar III: TVET and the “Skills Development Levy.”

To support industrialization, Liberia will adopt Singapore’s Skills Development Levy (SDL), introduced in 1979 to encourage a shift from low-skilled to high-skilled labor (Singapore Statutes Online, 2020).

  • The Concessionaire Skills Levy: A 0.5% tax will be applied to the total payroll of all Class A Mining License holders and large-scale agricultural concessionaires (such as ArcelorMittal, Bea Mountain, Firestone, Golden Veroleum).
  • Utilization: These funds will be allocated to a TVET Transformation Fund, managed by the LHCEC, to upgrade facilities at the Booker Washington Institute (BWI) and other technical centers.
  • Curriculum Alignment: Concessionaires contributing to the levy shall sit on the advisory boards of TVET centers to co-design curriculum, ensuring graduates are “job-ready” for the extractive and agro-processing sectors (Lomax, 2021).

4.4 Pillar IV: Institutional Integrity and “Unexplained Wealth.”

Corruption discourages investment and depletes the education budget. The Singaporean approach depends on the Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau (CPIB) and strict laws concerning asset declaration (Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau, n.d.).

  • Legal Reform: The Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC) Act will be amended to include an “Unexplained Wealth” Order. This shifts the burden of proof: any public official (including school administrators and Ministry officials) with assets disproportionate to their known income must prove the lawful origin of those assets or face confiscation (LACC, 2024).
  • Civil forfeiture: Assets confiscated in corruption cases shall be specifically redirected to the Teacher Hardship Allowance Fund for educators in rural counties.

5.0 Implementation Timeline

  • Year 1 (2025): Passage of the LHCEC Act and the Skills Development Levy amendment. Launch of the biometric “Ghost Teacher” audit.
  • Year 2 (2026): Inauguration of NITE; first intake of merit-selected teacher trainees. Publication of the first National Manpower Master Plan.
  • Year 5 (2030): Complete implementation of the “Unexplained Wealth” regime; 50% decrease in unqualified teachers in public schools.

6.0 Conclusion

This policy challenges the traditional reliance on aid and fragmented planning. Adopting Singapore’s centralized workforce planning system (LHCEC), unifying teacher training (NITE), and domestic resource mobilization (Skills Levy), Liberia aims to develop the human capital necessary to process its own natural resources. We are shifting from a nation that exports iron ore and rubber to one that exports steel and tires, driven by the ingenuity of Liberian citizens.

7.0 References

Brookings Institution. (2023). Singapore’s educational reforms toward holistic outcomes. https://www.brookings.edu/articles/singapores-educational-reforms-toward-holistic-outcomes/

Corrupt Practices Investigation Bureau. (n.d.). Singapore’s Prevention of Corruption Act. https://www.cpib.gov.sg/about-corruption/legislation-and-enforcement/prevention-of-corruption-act/

Discover Education. (2025). Rethinking teacher education in Liberia’s rural teacher training institutes: Key challenges and strategic solutions. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/392726531

Institute for Adult Learning. (n.d.). The Singapore Workforce Development System. https://www.ial.edu.sg/

Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission. (2024). Quarterly Report. https://lacc.gov.lr/

Liu, F. T. (n.d.). Singapore’s Experience in Technical and Vocational Education and Training. Institute for Adult Learning. https://www.ial.edu.sg/getmedia/3d70ceb2-3748-44f0-b4d9-04ca9be79737/4-1-Liu-Fook-Thim_paper.pdf

Lomax, S. (September 13, 2021). Liberia: What is in the ArcelorMittal amended MDA for Liberia? FrontPage Africa. https://frontpageafricaonline.com/news/liberia-whats-in-arcelormittal-amended-mda-for-liberia-leaked-draft-unveils-economic-outlook/

Ministry of Education. (2024). MOE report uncovers unprecedented challenges. The New Dawn Liberia. https://www.thenewdawnliberia.com/moe-report-uncovers-unprecedented-challenges/

Ministry of Labor. (2024). Bureau of Employment: Programmatic Activities. https://mol.gov.lr/bureau-of-employment/

Singapore Statutes Online. (2020). Skills Development Levy Act 1979. Government of Singapore. https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/SDLA1979

United Nations Country Team Liberia. (2024). UNCT Liberia Annual Results Report 2024. https://uninfo.blob.core.windows.net/

Wellesley Centers for Women. (2017). Liberia’s education crisis: Quality v. Access. https://www.wcwonline.org/WCW-Blog-Women-Change-Worlds/entry/Liberia-s-education-crisis-quality-v-access

World Bank. (2024). Liberia Country Economic Memorandum: Escaping the Natural Resource Trap. https://reliefweb.int/report/liberia/liberia-country-economic-memorandum-escaping-natural-resource-trap-pathways-sustainable-growth-and-economic-diversification-liberia