-From Stigma
By G. Bennie Bravo Johnson
The Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Education, with funding support from the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), has concluded a day-long stakeholder national dialogue on girls’ education with emphasis on pregnant school-going students. The dialogue aims to guide and promote affirmative action to progressively reduce gender disparities in education and training as well as in management structures.
The national policy dialogue, held on Tuesday, November 25, 2025, in Monrovia, is a testament to the regional National Policy on Girls’ Education recently concluded across the country and implemented by the Ministry through regional dialogue and consultation. The national dialogue brought together county education officers, development partners, student leaders, and advocates.
Liberia’s National Policy on Girls’ Education (NPGE 2021–2026), implemented by the Ministry of Education, aims to improve access to quality education for girls and reduce gender disparities. It envisions building a society free from gender disparities in all sectors and an education system in which all children—girls and boys—have equal access to affordable and quality education. The policy also seeks to provide an enabling environment for gender equality in education, training, and management.
According to Section 4.2(b), the policy provides that preventive approaches and measures should be taken to ensure girls are properly supported to remain in school and perform well in their lessons. Similarly, Section 4.2(c) states that when a girl drops out of school at any level or is at risk of dropping out for any reason, she must be counseled to understand the importance of education and encouraged to return to or remain in school or enter an alternative education program.
Regarding the Policy on Girls’ Retention and Completion, Section 4.2(e) states that any individual found obstructing the entry or completion of a girl’s education should be prosecuted by the Ministry of Justice or any concerned individual through the courts. Section 4.2(f) states that until an enforcement mechanism is put into place by the Ministry of Education, community leadership should intervene when parents or guardians fail to send the girl to school at the appropriate age.
Delivering special remarks, Education Minister Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah expressed appreciation to UNFPA for its support toward Liberia’s youthful population, development, and future preservation, describing the national policy as timely and necessary.
According to her, they met to confront the truth that is too often mixed with reaction in national conversations, adding that Liberia’s foundational education system was never fully designed around the realities people face. She emphasized that when systems fail to adjust to the lives of children, those children fall behind and miss out.
Extending a solidarity message, United Nations Population Fund Country Representative Dr. Mady Biaye reaffirmed UNFPA’s commitment to supporting Liberia’s national policy agenda. He stated that the first and most powerful line of defense against unplanned pregnancy is comprehensive education and accurate information.
He urged national stakeholders to ensure that adolescents have the knowledge to make informed decisions and choices regarding their bodies, health, and future. He added that this requires the full and effective implementation of the policy, noting that comprehensive sexuality education is a vital tool that provides factual information on reproductive health, gender equality, and more.
For his part, Deputy Minister for Policy at the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection, Curtis V. Dorley, expressed gratitude to the Ministry of Education and UNFPA for their support. He applauded the national regional consultation conducted in various counties, noting that it reflects the government’s commitment to inclusive development and participation.
He further stated that the dialogue came at the right time as they are implementing the Arrest Agenda for inclusive national development aimed at leaving no one behind. He added that the policy, when implemented, will reduce social problems affecting the country. He disclosed that Liberia currently has over three hundred and sixty-five thousand children in street situations, and over the next five years, the government intends to remove about five thousand children from the streets.
Concluding the remarks, the Director for Family Health at the Ministry of Health, Bentoe Zoogley Tehoungue, said that about 20% of adolescents were recorded as school dropouts, and out of that number, 10.3% are females. She added that UNICEF data also reports that nearly half of the country’s adolescents are of school age.
“So considering that, at the Ministry of Health we consider the expansion of adolescent health service centers as key to ensuring that we meet services with the Ministry of Education in our different public schools. The Ministry of Health is striving to ensure that most females, whether in school or out of school, return to school to mitigate teenage pregnancy. We trained female guidance counselors and adolescent health service providers,” she concluded
