Soltiamon Proprietress Challenges Government Authority Over Discipline in Private Schools

Monrovia, Liberia: A long-running disagreement over how Liberian schools should discipline children could be heading to court, after prominent educator and Soltiamon Christian School System proprietress Mrs. Tiangay Saba Koon Joah announced plans to challenge the Government of Liberia over its prohibition of corporal punishment and changes to the national curriculum.

Mrs. Koon Joah made the declaration on Friday, September 25, while addressing students, parents, educators and invited guests at Soltiamon Christian School System’s 21st graduation ceremony at the Paynesville City Hall.

Her threatened lawsuit puts Soltiamon back at the center of a national debate over the limits of school discipline, the authority of private and faith-based schools, and the Government’s responsibility to protect children from physical punishment.

Mrs. Koon Joah argued that removing corporal punishment from schools has weakened the ability of educators to maintain discipline and correct unacceptable behavior among students. She maintained that Christian schools in particular should be allowed to educate children according to the moral and disciplinary principles on which those institutions were founded.

She also raised concerns about changes being made to Liberia’s national curriculum, questioning whether some aspects adequately reflect the moral and traditional values that schools and families should pass on to children.

The Ministry of Education, however, has taken a sharply different position on physical punishment.

Its prohibition is not new. In June 2019, the Ministry specifically sanctioned Soltiamon Christian School following an investigation into the physical punishment of a female student. The Ministry said at the time that its regulations prohibited beating, caning and other punishment capable of causing physical or moral injury to students. Soltiamon was fined L$350,000, while the Ministry ordered the removal of an administrator from instructional activities and required the school to submit its student and staff handbooks for approval. (Ministry of Education Liberia)

The 2019 incident also moved beyond an administrative dispute with the Education Ministry. Contemporary reports said school officials Solomon Joah Sr. and Solomon Joah Jr. were taken before the Monrovia City Court in connection with the incident and faced charges of aggravated assault and criminal facilitation. They were subsequently released after a criminal appearance bond was filed. (Liberia Public Radio)

That history gives Mrs. Koon Joah’s latest declaration added significance. Rather than being a new disagreement between Soltiamon and education authorities, the threatened lawsuit could reopen a dispute over school discipline that has existed between the institution and the Government for years.

The Ministry has continued to enforce its position. In December 2025, it launched an investigation after reports that students at another private Christian school, Berea Christian Academy of Excellence, had been physically punished. In January 2026, the Ministry imposed a L$250,000 fine and suspended several school officials after preliminary findings. It again described corporal punishment as prohibited in both public and private schools. (Ministry of Education Liberia)

Beyond discipline, Liberia’s education system is also undergoing broader reforms. The Ministry has been reviewing and revising portions of the national curriculum, including work on English Language Arts, while its official website currently makes a draft revised national curriculum available for stakeholder input. The Ministry says curriculum reform is intended to improve learning standards, strengthen foundational skills and respond to gaps in the education system. (Ministry of Education Liberia)

Mrs. Koon Joah’s objections therefore set up two potentially important questions: how much freedom should privately operated and religious schools have in determining their disciplinary practices, and how far can that freedom extend when national education regulations apply to all schools?

For the Government, the issue is framed around child protection, student dignity and uniform standards across the education system. For Mrs. Koon Joah, the issue is also about the ability of educators and Christian institutions to preserve discipline, morality and the values they believe are essential to raising children.

She is now seeking support from parents, educators, private-school operators and other members of the public as she considers taking the dispute before the courts.

If the threatened lawsuit is formally filed, it could move an argument that has largely played out in classrooms, school offices and public debate into Liberia’s judicial system, where the extent of government authority over school discipline and the obligations of private educational institutions could face legal scrutiny.