Teachers of the Monrovia Consolidated School System have expressed dismay over the decision of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to suspend MCSS Superintendent, James Momoh, pending an investigation by the Liberia Anti-Corruption Commission (LACC).
President Joseph Boakai took the decision last week following unconfirmed report that Momoh was engaged in massive corruption and mismanagement of funds intended to revamp the system that has been neglected by past governments for decades.
The teachers called on the President to reconsider the decision to suspend their boss as there is no evidence linking the Superintendent to any act of corruption within the system.
MCSS teachers underscored that, contrary to the report, Momoh’s administration is making tremendous effort to modernize the entity and put it on par with other educational institutions around the world, despite the acute shortage of resources.
The group claimed that in less than two years following his appointment by the President to head the entity, the Superintendent has transformed the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) from its deplorable condition to a successful modern learning environment, which clearly represents Africa’s oldest country.
The teachers claimed that, for the first time in decades, MCSS students can now boast of a modern classroom, reenergized faculty and dedicated staff ready to make the President’s dream of educating all Liberians come true.
MCSS teachers also recalled that, unlike in the past when there were not enough chairs to accommodate the growing number of students in the system’s schools, the Momoh administration is on record for equipping classroom with chairs, blackboards and the opportunity for teachers to travel abroad for further studies to enhance learning at the MCSS.
The group noted that nineteen teachers are currently in India undergoing intense training in modern classroom management, and other disciplines in education, to enhance their performance in imparting knowledge.
Speaking in a random interview with the Hot Pepper days after Momoh’s suspension, the teachers also praised his administration for providing a conductive work environment for employees assigned at the head office of the entity on 12th Street.
One teacher explained that Momoh’s administration has transformed the head office of the MCSS from what appeared to be a makeshift building to a renovated modern work place equipped with air condition, water and stable electricity, making educational workers comfortable at work.
He indicated that the abrupt suspension of a man seeing as a hardworking and dedicated servant of the state comes as a surprise to many teachers, education workers and other citizens, and wonder whether the Boakai administration is sincere with the promise made to promote education in the country.
The suspension of James Momoh has sent shockwaves among advocates of education in the country, with many calling on the President to review the allegations against him.
A parent of an MCSS school who claimed to have voted for Boakai in the presidential election accused the President’s enemies operating within the government of misleading his leadership by providing false information about officials who mean well for his administration.
He disclosed that these individuals are themselves corrupt, and called on the President to immediately turn them over to the LACC for investigation.