Overhaul the education sector - Liberia Chief Imam

The National Chief Imam of the Republic of Liberia Sheikh Ali Krayee has called for the overhauling of the Liberia educational system as a means of curbing the danger of corruption in the country.

According to Imam Ali Krayee, morality has dissipated due to the absence of moral education thereby breeding corruption. He made the statement when he delivered a keynote address during the celebration of the International Anti-corruption day held in Ganta city, Nimba County.

“But I submit today, that the battle against corruption will make progress only if a complete overhaul of the education system is undertaken. In Liberia, for example, moral education is almost absent from the curriculum. Morality is what disciplines people. With the virtual absence of moral education, and the collapse of the merit system in most schools, those we call educational institutions have largely produced a generation of clever devils”.

He opined that corruption became a canker after the protracted civil wars in the country as most of the qualified brains in the teaching field were expatriate but left during the war.

“Before the war in Liberia, academic corruption was somewhat unpopular. Students aspired to places of admiration among their colleagues. Their role models were men and women who proved to be exceptional in terms of their intellectual ability. Teachers were generally self-respecting personalities. They were respected in the communities. In many instances, teachers, especially in rural areas, were role models. Morality was in some way promoted. But the war created a brain drain in a nation that was already low in terms of literacy. Many of the qualified teachers, some of whom were expatriates, left the country”.

He further professes for the inclusion of moral education into the curriculum since it is conspicuously missing from education.

“Unless the education sector in our country is revived in a serious and fundamental way, there's no hope that we will be united against corruption. The worst society to live in is that society where the majority of people believe that they have nothing to lose. That is the society in which morality and merit have no place in the education system”.

“The education system cannot be reformed without the government. So, like the age-old question about the chicken and the egg, there must be a starting point. That is why I use this medium to call on the international community to intervene in two ways. First, the country is in need of a comprehensive education reform. If just one of the billions of dollars spent by UNMIL in Liberia were directed to the revival and modernization of the education sector, with Morality and the merit system firmly entrenched, it would have been much easier to stand united against Corruption. Second, integrity institutions worldwide should formulate effective programs to strengthen the legislature and the judiciary,” he added.

He also chastised the legislature of the country for not living up to its expectation.

“We continue to say that our legislature has, for the most part, been a useless burden on taxpayers. International transparency bodies and related organizations should exert necessary pressure that would keep the legislature awake to play the crucial role it has been charged with."