BEHIND THE MCSS PROTEST: Corruption, Grandstanding and Scapegoating

A protest that erupted in Monrovia on March 25, 2025, involving students and teachers from the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), has exposed a corrosive web of institutional corruption, political maneuvering, and systemic neglect within Liberia’s education sector. At the heart of this lies a $1.6 million procurement scandal implicating MCSS Superintendent James A. S. Momoh, who allegedly awarded contracts for armchairs and laboratory equipment without adhering to Liberia’s Public Procurement and Concessions Commission (PPCC) Law5 6. These contracts, valued at $1,210,000 and $451,500 respectively, bypassed mandatory competitive bidding processes required for procurements exceeding $10,000 under Liberian law5 7. The diversion of funds meant for school infrastructure has exacerbated longstanding grievances over unpaid teacher salaries, dilapidated facilities, and a leadership crisis fueled by the contested appointment of Assistant Superintendent Emmanuel Kyne Robertson4 11. As students took to the streets demanding accountability, the government’s heavy-handed response—including the use of teargas by police—has intensified public outrage and justified the dire consequences of prioritizing political interests over educational equity2 3 8.

Roots of the Crisis: Systemic Corruption and Legal Violations

The procurement scandal engulfing Superintendent Momoh exemplifies how corruption erodes public trust in Liberia’s governance structures. Under the PPCC Act of 2005, amended in 2010, all contracts exceeding $10,000 must undergo open competitive bidding unless granted explicit “No Objection” approval for restricted methods5 6 7. Investigative reports reveal that Momoh’s contracts for armchairs and lab equipment violated these provisions, with evidence suggesting kickbacks totaling $220,0004. One contract, awarded to a vendor with no prior procurement experience, included a $86,000 allocation for renovating a single classroom—a cost deemed grossly inflated by auditors4. Such blatant mismanagement reflects a broader culture of impunity; despite PPCC regulations mandating penalties of up to five years imprisonment and $100,000 fines for procurement violations6, no high-ranking officials have faced prosecution in recent years5.

Compounding these issues, the Monrovia Consolidated School System Teachers Association (MCSSTA) has accused Momoh of manipulating teacher grievances to deflect scrutiny. In March 2025, he allegedly orchestrated a campaign through his romantic partner, Sonita Dangan—MCSS Director for Instruction—to rally teachers against the government’s delayed salaries while obscuring his own financial misconduct4. This tactic exploited genuine frustrations: teachers have gone unpaid for four to six months, forcing many to abandon classrooms and leaving students unprepared for critical exams like the West African Senior School Certificate Examination1 8.

Political Grandstanding and Leadership Disputes

The appointment of Emmanuel Kyne Robertson as Assistant Superintendent in March 2024 has further destabilized MCSS leadership. President Joseph Boakai’s decision to install Robertson—a move contested by the MCSSTA as violating the 1964 MCSS Act—sparked a legal and administrative feud4 11. The Act explicitly grants hiring authority to the Superintendent, not the presidency, yet Robertson has maintained his position with support from the MCSS Board4 11. Internal documents reveal that Minister of Finance Augustine Ngafuan leveraged this appointment to pressure Momoh, signaling a power struggle within the administration4. The MCSS operates on a $4.2 million annual budget, with $3.9 million allocated to salaries—a structure that leaves virtually no funds for infrastructure or learning materials9 10. Despite Liberia’s education budget increasing from 13.7% of government expenditure in 2019 to 16% in 2023, it remains below the 20% benchmark recommended by UNESCO9. Chronic underfunding has forced schools to rely on “volunteer” teachers, who constitute 30% of MCSS staff but receive no steady income3 9.

Student Protests and State Repression

The convergence of these failures ignited student protests on March 25, 2025. Beginning as a peaceful march from William V.S. Tubman High School, the demonstration swelled as students from across Monrovia joined, blocking roads near the Capitol Building and Executive Mansion1 3. Their placards bore slogans like “We want to learn—pay our teachers” and “Rescue our future,” echoing demands for immediate salary disbursements and an end to political interference in education1 2. The government’s response—deploying the Emergency Response Unit (ERU) with teargas and batons—resulted in dozens of injuries, including students hospitalized for respiratory distress2 3 8.

This repression mirrors historical patterns. In October 2019, police similarly teargassed students protesting unpaid teacher salaries, leaving two in critical condition8. The recurrence of such violence shows the state’s preference for suppression over dialogue. Finance Minister Augustine Ngafuan's hesitancy to release MCSS funds, citing “administrative irregularities,” has deepened the stalemate4. Meanwhile, President Boakai’s silence following the crackdown has fueled accusations of indifference, with the Liberia National Students’ Union condemning the government’s “lavish spending on officials’ lifestyles” amid classroom crises2 3.

Implications for Liberia’s Future

MCSS schools, responsible for educating 16,752 students as of 2025, lack functional laboratories, updated textbooks, and adequate sanitation10 12. A 2024 audit revealed that 40% of MCSS buildings require structural repairs, with leaky roofs and collapsed walls forcing classes to meet under trees10. These conditions disproportionately affect low-income students, 60% relying on MCSS institutions as their only access to education9 12.

The psychosocial toll on students is equally dire. Interviews with protesters show widespread anxiety over disrupted exam preparations. “How can we pass WAEC when our teachers vanish for months?” asked Marvin Sonnie School student James Kolleh during the March 25 rally1. Such sentiments reflect a generation’s dwindling faith in institutions—a dangerous precedent for a nation still rebuilding post-conflict governance systems.

Pathways to Reform

First, an independent audit of MCSS finances—overseen by the PPCC and civil society groups like the Center for Transparency and Accountability (CENTAL)—must investigate the $1.6 million procurement scandal5 6. The PPCC’s mandate allows it to debar corrupt contractors and recommend prosecutions, tools it should deploy aggressively6 7.

Second, the government must resolve the leadership impasse by adhering to the 1964 MCSS Act. President Boakai should rescind Robertson’s appointment and empower the Superintendent to hire personnel through merit-based processes4 11. Restoring the MCSS Council’s authority to approve budgets and codes of conduct, as outlined in Liberia’s Education Administrative Regulations, would depoliticize decision-making11.

Third, immediate salary payments for teachers are non-negotiable. The $8.4 million allocated in November 2024 to integrate volunteer teachers into the payroll must be expedited, with transparent disbursement mechanisms to prevent graft3 9. Long-term solutions require increasing education funding up to 20% of the national budget.

The March 2025 protest is not an isolated outburst but the culmination of decades of neglect and malfeasance. From the MCSS’s founding in 1964 to today, Liberia’s education system has been undermined by elite capture and fiscal irresponsibility10 12. Yet, the students’ resilience offers hope: Their demands for accountability echo the anti-corruption movements that propelled Liberia’s post-war recovery. The alternative—allowing classrooms to remain battlegrounds for political vendettas—risks forfeiting Liberia’s future to the very forces that have long stunted its progress.

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BEHIND THE MCSS PROTEST: Corruption, Grandstanding and Scapegoating

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