A House with Two Rooms - The Advocates for Human Rights

Education
large industrial centers.
Liberians again and again told the TRC that lack of education was a primary cause
of the civil crises in Liberia and they recommended that education be the basis for
Liberia’s development going forward. The Constitution of Liberia enshrines this
national priority, stating that the govern-ment must provide “equal access to educational opportunities
and facilities for all citizens” and placing emphasis on “the mass education of the Liberian people and
the elimination of illiteracy.” 314 In addition, the Government of Liberia has ratified the Convention
against Discrimination in Education and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child
which create legally binding obligations relative to the provision of free and compulsory primary
education, access to education without discrimination, and making higher and vocational educational
accessible and available. 315 Drawing on these and other relevant international standards, The Advocates
recommends the following:
• The Government of Liberia should recognize
that everyone has the right to education, which
is to be directed to the “full development of the
human personality and the sense of its dignity, and
shall strengthen the respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms…[E]ducation shall enable all
persons to participate effectively in a free society,
promote understanding, tolerance and friendship
among all nations and all racial, ethnic or religious
groups, and further the activities of the United
Nations for the maintenance of peace.” 316
• The Government of Liberia should increase access
to education by ensuring respect for the right
to education without discrimination based on
“race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or
other opinion, national or social origin, economic
condition or birth.” 319
• In compliance with the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women and the Protocol to the African Charter
on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of
Women in Africa, the Government of Liberia
should eliminate discrimination against women in
order to ensure to them equal rights with men in the
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Chapter Fourteen
Potential Implementation Strategy:
Increase Access to Primary Education
through Elimination of User Fees
Charged by Public Schools
The Government of Liberia should
take measures to eliminate user fees
charged by public primary schools
by ensuring such institutions need
not resort to charging fees to fund
operations, which leads to large
dropout rates due to economic
hardship on their parents. 317
Nevertheless, as the World Bank
notes, to ensure that the abolition
of user fees does not adversely
affect the quality of education, other
revenue sources must be available to
replace user fees. 318 The role of the
donor community is indispensable
to achieving elimination of these
user fees. The Government of
Liberia should work with the donor
community to eliminate user fees and
find alternative funding for education.