MCSS Students Protest Teachers’ Absence From Classrooms

By: Contributing Writer, Adell G. Wolee

Monrovia, Liberia:  Students under the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) on Wednesday, October 14, staged a protest in Monrovia over the continued absence of teachers from classrooms since the opening of the new school year.

The protesters, including students from D. Tweh Memorial High School, took to the streets to call on the government to urgently address the situation, which they say is affecting their education.

Speaking to reporters during the demonstration, one of the protesting students said they had spent weeks attending school without receiving regular classroom instruction from teachers.

The student said the demonstration was intended to draw the government’s attention to their concerns and the impact of the teachers’ absence on their academic progress.

The protesters also called for improved salaries for teachers, acknowledging that their demands for better compensation were contributing to the ongoing disruption.

“They are not getting the money that they are supposed to get, so they should increase their salary,” one student said, referring to the teachers’ demands.

The student, however, stressed that the continued disruption was affecting students who were expecting to resume their studies at the start of the academic year.

The protesters warned that they would stage another demonstration if the government failed to respond to their concerns.

“If the government does not come to our cry, the next thing we will do will be very different,” the student warned.

Reports indicate that teachers under the Monrovia Consolidated School System are observing a go-slow action in demand for salary increases and improvements in their general welfare.

The protest adds to concerns over the impact of the teachers’ action on students’ access to classroom learning as the new academic year gets underway.