A recent claim made by Gibson Jerue, a panellist on the Spoon Talk Online programme, stated that Liberia's Education Law mandates a 25% allocation to the education sector. However, upon verification, DUBAWA found no provision in the Education Reform Act of 2011 that requires 25% of Liberia's national budget to go to education. The claim was made during a discussion criticising the status of the country's education system and the government's annual budgetary allocation to the Ministry of Education.
DUBAWA's researcher contacted Jerue, requesting the chapter and provision of the education law that supports his claim, but he did not respond. The researcher then reviewed the Education Reform Act of 2011, particularly Chapter Nine, which discusses financing education, and found no such provision. Subsection (a) of Chapter Nine does mandate that 60% of signature fees realised from concession agreements in the extractive mineral and other non-renewable resource sector, as well as in the agriculture sector and in major privatisation contracts, shall be allocated to the education budget.
The Education Reform Act of 2011 was enacted to modernise and restructure Liberia's education system, replacing earlier provisions under Title 26 of the Executive Law. The Act aimed to expand access to quality education, improve governance structure, and align Liberia's education policies with international standards. According to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report on Financing Education, the 2026 SDG 4 Scorecard found that around one in three countries spends less than 4% of GDP and less than 15% of total public expenditure on education.
Data from the UNESCO Institute of Statistics show that, between 2008 and 2012, the Liberian government invested 12 to 14% of total public expenditure on education, which is less than the standard. The 2026 approved national budget published by the Ministry of Finance shows that the government of Liberia allocated $136,326,349, which is 10.91% of the country's historical $1.2 billion budget, to the education sector.
DUBAWA further reviewed the Education Law of 2001 (repealed) and the Liberia Education Administrative Regulation, but the documents made no mention of a 25% allocation to education. International benchmarks for education spending are lower than 25%, and Liberia's actual allocation is $136,326,349, or 10.91% of the country's 2026 National government expenditure.
The Education Reform Act of 2011 focuses on improving education in Liberia, with a goal of aligning the country's education policies with international standards. The Act's provisions aim to increase access to quality education and improve the governance structure of the education system. However, the claim made by Jerue about the 25% budget allocation is not supported by the Act.
In conclusion, DUBAWA found no provision in the Education Reform Act of 2011 requiring that 25% of Liberia's national budget go to education. Jerue did not provide a legal citation for his claim. The actual allocation to the education sector in the 2026 national budget is $136,326,349, or 10.91% of the country's historical $1.2 billion budget.
Key points
- The Education Reform Act of 2011 does not mandate a 25% allocation of Liberia's national budget to education.
- The 2026 approved national budget allocated $136,326,349 to the education sector, which is 10.91% of the country's historical $1.2 billion budget.
- International benchmarks for education spending are lower than 25%, according to the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring Report on Financing Education.
