Monrovia – During the submission of the fiscal 2015/2016 draft budget to the National Legislature, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her budget message told the lawmakers that government was cutting down on wasteful expenditure by reducing the number of foreign travels by government officials.
“Am off to Oslo on Friday for a Board meeting, as a member of the Global Partnership for Education.
The DMI, DMA, Assistant Minister for Teacher Education, Executive Director for Curriculum Development are in Boston, MA, for a week to work with partners in preparation for Partnership Schools for Liberia beginning September 2016. They left Liberia on Sunday, June 5, and are back by Sunday, June 12”, Education Minister, George Werner
As part of the cost saving measures the President indicated that only essential travels will be permitted and the number of people on each trip will be reduced.
The President stated in the transmittal of the budget that during the fiscal year government officials will now be required to fly economy class, while the number of foreign trips will also be limited to three per year, with the exception of the President, Vice President, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Finance with a limit of no more than five members on any travel party.
President Sirleaf indicated that the new austerity measure will cut wastes in government and channels more funds to infrastructure development as set out in the Agenda for Transformation-a program framed by the government of Liberia to expedite development.
At least Nine MoE officials on foreign trips
Against the President and the government policy on spending huge amount of money on foreign travels, FrontPageAfrica has gathered that at least nine senior officials of the Ministry of Education are on the same foreign travel to the United States of America.
Deputy Minister for Instruction, Deputy Minister for Administration, Assistant Minister for Teachers’ Training and Executive Director for Curriculum Development are all currently in Boston Massachusetts, the United States of America with Minister George Werner also expected to depart the country for Oslo this Friday, a situation that will leave the Ministry without nearly all its senior officials.
Budget cutoff Spending?
At the close of every budget year, ministries and agencies with money in their budgets that were not used during the entire course of the budget year hastily undertake travels and incur other expenditures in an attempt to exhaust the allotment before the cut off period of the budget year-June 30.
Numerous past audits by the General Auditing Commission of Liberia on the Consolidated account of the Government of Liberia have uncovered questionable and huge spending during the months of May and June each year as ministries and agencies rush to spend all they were allotted the during the budget year.
A credible source at the Education Ministry has hinted FrontPageAfrica that the Ministry is using all its remaining resources for foreign travels rather than priorities of the Education Sector.
At the moment, the source stated that all three deputies are out of Liberia and six of eight Assistant Ministers are also out of the Ministry with Minister Werner scheduled to leave later doing the week.
“There is a common saying at the Ministry ‘no good school” because the lack of interest shown by officials placed in position of trust. The ministry is currently empty with not more than 40 employees at work Monday and Tuesday morning”, the source lamented.
Employees’ on holiday
FPA investigation has also gathered that due to the absence of these senior officials of the Ministry, many employees have opted to stay home.
One employee who begged not to be named told FPA: The ministry is currently empty with not more than 40 employees at work yesterday and this morning.
With no preparation for WAEC by these key officials, there is a strong likelihood of another postponement.
I am an insider and I feel these officials are deceptive to the cause of improving education in this country”.
Minister Confirms Travels, says donors paying
Minister Werner told FPA that the trips undertaken by these officials are paid by donors and not Government of Liberia funds.
“Check with the MFDP to validate the claims. WAEC is an independent body performing legislated services for the government of Liberia”, Minister Werner told FPA.
He confirmed that several officials of the Ministry are currently out of the country and he is also expected to leave this week.
“I’m off to Oslo on Friday for a Board meeting, as a member of the Global Partnership for Education.
The DMI, DMA, Asst. Minister for Teacher Education, Executive Director for Curriculum Development are in Boston, MA, for a week to work with partners in preparation for Partnership Schools for Liberia beginning September 2016.
They left Liberia on Sunday, June 5, and are back by Sunday, June 12”, the Education Minister disclosed.
But a source at the Ministry told FPA that Minister Werner is expected to travel to the United States besides his trip to Oslo.
Minister Werner also told FPA: “Their travel is paid for by partners, not government of Liberia”.
Minister Werner was appointed by President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf based on the belief that he is a reformer and his tenure could bring the needed changes at the Ministry and the education sector of Liberia which the President has described as a mess.
Since he took over the Ministry, the tenure of Minister Werner is not short of controversies as his decision to change the academic calendar led to students protest.
Recently, the decision by Minister Werner to negotiate a Public Private Partnership for a private firm, Bridge International Academies to manage the primary education sector of Liberia continues to be publicly criticized.
Deputy Education Minister Aagon Tingban recently said Liberian high school graduates are at the level of primary school students from the United States of America a statement that also drew public condemnations.
Ministers and officials of the Education Ministry are fond of criticizing the education system of Liberia with no tangible efforts on their part to help change the situation.
When Minister Werner took over, he carried out a nationwide tour with big promises to reform the system, but his stay at the helm of authority at the ministry has shown nothing new to reform the system.