-Gonet Academy Claims Unfair Targeting by NCHE

Gonet Academy, one of Liberia’s fastest-growing technical training institutions, has accused the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) of unfairly targeting it in a recent crackdown on “illegal” schools. The academy believes that its rapid success may have provoked the NCHE’s decision, arguing that it holds valid accreditation from the Ministry of Education and the Agricultural and Industrial Training Bureau (AITB). 

“We operate legitimately and under hard-earned dedication from the Ministry of Education, and authorization of AITB. We were shocked by the NCHE’s announcement, as no formal communication engagement or audit was ever conducted with our institution before making such a public claim,” the institution noted in the release. The NCHE’s recent crackdown on unauthorized institutions of higher learning raised questions about due diligence, prompting Gonet Academy to defend its legal status–fearing that it is being targeted.

“We feel targeted by some hidden hands. The designation of our institution by the commission is a ploy by some higher-ups to hide the tremendous level of work we are doing in this country. And this is unfair. We are on-pre-tecerary, contributing to our beloved country by empowering the young people,” Gonet noted in a release.

It further stated, “This is very much unfair. We have been operating legitimately in this country and there is no way that we will want to do things out of the way. We are too responsible, knowledgeable, and vibrant to pretend not to do the right thing. We cannot hide from the government. Evidence can be seen in our tax payment records at the Liberia Revenue Authority.”

In a shock move against what it termed as “substandard and illegal” tertiary institutions, the NCHE last week shut down 31 unauthorized colleges and suspended the licenses of 22 others for violating accreditation standards and regulatory requirements. The Executive Director of NCHE, Dr. Edward Lama Wonkeryor, called the action announced at the Ministry of Information’s regular press briefing a necessary step to protect the integrity of Liberia’s higher education system.

“These schools are operating illegally and pose a serious threat to the credibility of our education system,” Wonkeryor said. “We are urging the public not to enroll in them,” Wonkeryor said the suspensions and closures follow a nationwide quality assurance audit aimed at identifying institutions that fail to meet minimum academic, structural, and operational benchmarks.

But Gonet Academy’s management reacted sharply to the NCHE, noting in its release that the institution has been accredited and recognized since 2022. It was also established that there was no due diligence and absolutely no formal communication from the NCHE to Gonet Academy regarding the quality assurance audit. “How can the NCHE conduct a quality assurance audit without formally communicating with institutions to be audited? There is no evidence that the NCHE conducted a validation for the report before publishing it publicly. Our institution’s hard-earned credibility has been painted negatively and it’s extremely unfair.”

“We wish to clarify and inform the public that Gonet Academy is a legally registered and accredited institution under GonetAfrica Inc., operating under the authorization of both the Ministry of Education and the Agricultural and Industrial Training Bureau (AITB),” Gonet Academy said in its statement last week.
The release further clarified that GonetAfrica, Inc., legally registered with the Liberia Business Registry (LBR), serves as the parent institution of Gonet Academy—a premier professional development hub providing certificate and diploma programs in technical, vocational, and industry-relevant fields, which are pre-teceriary programs.

“We have a mission to equip Liberians with the practical skills, knowledge, and tools necessary to thrive in today’s rapidly changing workforce and contribute meaningfully to the country’s sustainable development,” the release says. “Gonet Academy received formal accreditation from MOE in June 2022; however, the Ministry later paused the issuance of new accreditations due to the 2023 General Elections and the development of its Service Delivery Charter (SDC) under the new administration, which is why the accreditation was not renewed,” the statement said. “Nevertheless, efforts have been made, and Gonet Academy has officially written to the Ministry of Education recently to seek guidance and clarity on the matter.”

Double Standards at Work?

Concerns were raised about potential bias against Gonet Academy, with some suggesting political motives behind the NCHE’s actions. The Gonet Academy’s management noted that it is taken aback by what seems to be a double standard on the part of the NCHE management, noting that the academy visited the commission last year to make inquiries and ascertain accreditation procedure–to which the commission noted that it was still working on its Service Delivery Charter.

“Early last year, a few members of Gonet Academy visited the offices of the NCHE to understand the accreditation landscape and determine whether the Commission’s oversight extended to short-term certificate and diploma programs. During that informal meeting, we were informed that the NCHE was in the process of developing its Service Delivery Charter (SDC) and that engagements with other educational stakeholders were ongoing to establish a clear regulatory framework for professional and technical training institutions,” Gonet Academy said in the statement. “Recognizing the mandate of the NCHE for degree-granting institutions, we subsequently engaged the AITB, which, in September 2024, granted us official authorization to operate as a Technical Training Institution offering certificate and diploma programs.”

“It is important to emphasize that Gonet Academy does not offer associate, undergraduate, or graduate degrees. Our focus is on non-degree professional and technical training.” Our professional development programs in areas such as Monitoring & Evaluation, Project Management, Finance, ICT, and Communication are designed to upskill Liberia’s workforce in support of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID), SDG 4 (Quality Education), and SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).”

Is Gonet Academy Outshining LIPA?

Observers noted Gonet Academy’s impact on technical and professional education and called for fair treatment amidst the ongoing dispute. Many observers believed that Gonet Academy was being targeted by some elements or higher ups in government and the NCHE was only being used as a pawn in the process–and this is solely because Gonet Academy has become the nation’s premier provider of technical and professional education and training in the country.

Some also believed that Gonet Academy is now outshining the Liberia Institute for Public Administration which is supposed to be the premier center of excellence in capacity building and professional development for sustained quality service delivery, especially in the public sector.

“People are not happy about Gonet Academy’s growth and level of vibrancy in the last few years. They are not happy that Gonet Academy has become so attractive to Liberians and foreign residents while LIPA, the government entity enacted by law to provide these services, is not doing much these days,” a government source told this reporter. “They want to do all they can to bring that vibrant institution down with all sorts of trivial accusations. This is unfair.” “The best the people at LIPA can do to become a better competitor to Gonet Academy is to invest and rebrand the entity instead of fighting young people who are doing so well,” the source added.

“NCHE categorization of Gonet Academy as illegal is unfounded. This appears to be driven more by politics than by facts,” David K. Singbee said on his social media page. “These are reasons Liberians with greater opportunities abroad don’t want to come back home to impact the next generation because they will be haunted by political opportunists. With no reservations, I strongly believe that the Gonet Academy’s management will be exonerated from this political fight.” AITB’s response to Gonet Academy said that Gonet Academy applied for a license last year but was told to wait as the AITB was developing its National TVET Standards procedure. So, Gonet Academy was issued a letter of authorization to operate while awaiting the formal license process to commence.

“I extend compliments and write to officially inform you of the Government of Liberia’s ongoing national initiative to reform and standardize the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) sector,” quoted from the letter posted by Gonet Academy from the AITB. “As part of this process, the Bureau, in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, is currently leading the development and rollout of the National TVET Standards for compliance monitoring and enforcement.”

The letter, noted t, that upon the conclusion of the exercise, the AITB will commence the issuance of Competency Licenses and conduct regular compliance monitoring and evaluation of all TVET institutions—both public and private—across Liberia. “In this regard, we urge you to remain actively engaged with the activities and communications of the AITB and other relevant bodies within the sector, to ensure that your institution is adequately prepared for the upcoming licensing and compliance requirements,” quoted in the letter,

The AITB also provided insight into the regulatory process, assuring institutions like Gonet Academy of upcoming compliance measures. “Since May 2024, upon appointments of the new AITB Management Team Members, a significant number of TVET administrators across Liberia have reached out to AITB to acquire the Competence License – a critical credential affirming institutional alignment with national TVET standards,” the bureau said in a statement last week. “The AITB assures stakeholders that the long-anticipated process will soon be operational following the completion of an ongoing compliance monitoring and gap analysis study.”
“We are aware of the growing interest and the persistent efforts by TVET administrators to align with national standards. We want to assure our stakeholders that the issuance of the Competence License will commence this year.”

Meanwhile, despite what seems to be a stab in the back by the NCHE, Gonet Academy on June 25, 2025, reached out to the Executive Director of NCHE and held a productive meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to clarify our status, provide supporting documentation, and explore the pathway for formal accreditation under NCHE’s evolving framework,” Gonet Academy said in a Facebook post after the meeting. “During the discussion, we reaffirmed our legal standing through the Ministry of Education and AITB: ⁠Expressed our unwavering dedication to regulatory compliance and quality assurance; emphasized our role in empowering over 3,000 Liberian professionals across sectors in just 4 years, and acknowledged the broader confusion surrounding inter-agency coordination, and Service Delivery Charters (SDCs).”

Dr. Wonkeryor told the team that the Commission’s goal is not to punish, but to promote collaboration and alignment among institutions–welcoming the idea of a national dialogue among key education stakeholders to harmonize regulatory frameworks for both degree-granting, professional, and technical institutions.
“We want to inform the public that following our meeting with the Executive Director of the NCHE, we submitted an official letter of request to continue operations under the AITB authorization and a letter of intent, which has been acknowledged to go through the accreditation process of the NCHE.”

Gonet Academy emphasized its commitment to empowering young people and professionals and contributing to national development through relevant, impactful, accessible, practical, and accredited technical and professional training programs.

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