On Sunday 18th July 2010; as the Government of Liberia (GoL), Ministry of Education (MoE) strives to revive the education sector after 14 years of civil conflict in the country, NRC Liberia and its local implementing partner LEAD (Liberia Education Action for Development) celebrated the graduation of 121 In-Service Teachers (9 females and 112 males) for the Grade “C” Certificate qualification. The final 4-week residential standards-based training for NRC’s teachers was implemented by LEAD and financed by the NRC’s Accelerated Learning Program (NRC/ALP).

With funding from the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (NMFA), NRC has been supporting the Government of Liberia’s efforts to meet the education needs in the country since 2003; prioritizing IDPs and returnees.
After six years of NRC substituting the GoL/MoE as the major elementary education provider in 125 communities in Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount Counties in the Northwestern Region of Liberia, and after supporting the setting up of solid foundations for sustainable education structures in these communities, NRC is now phasing out of the Accelerated Learning Program (ALP). Handing over ALP school structures and trained, experienced and qualified teachers to the GoL/MoE is one of the rudiments in the handover package and part of the process of the joint MoE-NRC Memorandum of Understanding.

When NRC established its ALP project in Bomi, Gbarpolu and Grand Cape Mount Counties in 2005, it started recruiting unemployed teachers and high school graduates from the beneficiary communities and providing teacher training for them. The rationale was partly, to avoid the draining out of qualified teachers from the few existing schools and partly, to narrow the gap of untrained and unqualified teachers in the classroom. After an initial pre-service training for each batch of new teachers, NRC trainers continued monitoring performance and providing routine monthly in-service teacher training in accordance with the approved MoE teacher-training curriculum.

By June 2010, the NRC/ALP Project had 198 trained and experienced teachers of which 141 lacked the “C” Certificate. NRC thus encouraged these 141 teachers to register for and attend the teacher training accredited by the GoL/MoE. NRC has an equal opportunity recruitment policy; however, at the prime time of the recruitments, the number of available female high school graduates in rural Liberia was dramatically low.

The final 4-week residential standards-based “C” Certificate training for NRC’s teachers that was completed on July 18, 2010 was implemented by a specialized local NGO, LEAD and financed by the NRC’s Accelerated Learning Program.
Boakai Zinnah, Head Teacher of NRC-Tubmanburg ALP School, is one of the graduating teachers. He was a high school graduate when he joined the NRC/ALP Project in 2006 as an incentive or volunteer teacher. Boakai is enormously happy for his new qualification. “To be very frank with you” he said, looking straight in my eyes “Although NRC had been giving us financial incentives throughout the years we worked, the best thing I got was the “C” Certificate qualification.” Indeed, almost all of the teachers shared similar views and there was an ambiance of joy and happiness among the graduating class.
Baokai also talked proudly about the inspiration he acquired on the day of his graduation, “I was impressed; very, very much impressed” he said, nodding his head in appreciation. “One thing that impressed me most was the encouragement from the Norwegian Ambassador”.

The Norwegian Ambassador for West Africa, H.E. Merete Lundemo, graced the occasion. In her remarks, she highlighted the role of the graduates in the consolidation of peace, stability and development in Liberia.
“Do you know what constitute the biggest asset and the biggest capital of Norway?” she asked the graduates, “It is not oil, mineral, etc … It is the level of education of its people”. She then pointed out that it is that capital (level of education) that the graduating teachers will give to the new generation of Liberians. Like all the other speakers, Merete Lundemo, implores the graduates to be an inspiration for the new generation in Liberia.

Honorable Musu Dixon-Badio, Assistant Minister for Teacher Education, Accreditation and Certification conducted the inauguration and led the professional oath.
In her remarks, she expressed her thanks and appreciation to NRC and LEAD: “I want to commend the NRC on behalf of MoE for its contributions to the training of teachers in Liberia”. She added that the intervention by NRC was very necessary and timely because of the shortage of trained teachers. “The Bureau of Teacher Education is grateful to you for partnering with MoE to address the formidable challenges which are the keys and benchmarks to achieving the poverty reduction strategy in the education sector” she reiterated.

She then thanked and congratulated LEAD for successfully implementing the training program. “The Bureau for Teacher Education will continue to support your efforts to train more teachers in order to improve quality education in Liberia” she assured LEAD. 

The “C” Certificate is the minimum level for teacher’s qualification set by the GoL/MoE. Also known as Primary School Teacher's Certificate, this entry level for specialization in the teaching profession, is a stepping stone to various teacher’s qualifications including, “B” Certificate, “A” Certificate, BSc or Master Degree in Teacher Education.