BUSHROD ISLAND, Monrovia – Tucked within Krutown, one of Liberia’s oldest slum communities established in 1916, Mercy Christian Institute (MCI) is facing a crisis that threatens the education of hundreds of children.
The school, serving more than 200 students from nursery to ninth grade, operates in a dilapidated zinc shack with virtually no proper infrastructure. Classrooms are unfit for learning, with sandy, broken cement floors, insufficient seating, poor sanitation, and a lack of basic teaching materials.
A visit to the campus on Saturday, March 22, 2025, revealed a grim picture: overcrowded makeshift classrooms, rusted roofing, and little to no recreational space for students.
Teachers Underpaid, Staffing Crisis Deepens
At the heart of the crisis is a dire financial shortfall. MCI pays its teachers a maximum monthly stipend of just L$4,000 (approximately US$20), prompting many to abandon the school for better-paying opportunities. Of the 15 instructors initially employed, six have already resigned.
Parents’ inability or unwillingness to pay the L$2,000 semester registration fee has further crippled the school’s operations. According to the school’s proprietress, Pastor Mercy Pyne, even student ID cards—costing L$800—remain undistributed because many families simply cannot afford them.
“We are operating on hope and faith,” Pastor Pyne told The Liberian Investigator. “The salt from the sea corrodes our zinc structure every year. We have to replace sheets annually, and we can’t even afford enough chairs, let alone pay our teachers on time.”
She added that the school lacks stationery for evaluations, a functioning office setup, and materials for student recreation.
A Desperate Call for Support
Pastor Pyne is appealing to the government, NGOs, and humanitarian institutions to intervene, warning that the education of hundreds of children is at stake.
“We began the 2024/2025 academic year with 250 students. Fifty have already dropped out because their parents couldn’t pay the registration fee,” she lamented. “We don’t charge breakage fees, even when students damage chairs, because we understand the financial strain their families face.”
Her primary appeal is for assistance to replace the deteriorating zinc building with a permanent concrete structure and secure funding to pay staff salaries.
“Our teachers are walking away, and we have no meaningful revenue to keep the school running. The future of these children is on the line,” Pastor Pyne warned. “I am pleading—from my heart—to the government and well-meaning individuals and institutions: please help us.”
Feeding Program in the Works, But Hurdles Remain
MCI also plans to introduce a school feeding program, as many children come to school hungry. A food vendor who previously sold rice for L$100 shut down her business after incurring losses from providing free meals and unpaid credit.
Currently, only one vendor sells snacks for L$20, a cost many students still struggle to meet.
Teacher Training Hopes Undermined by Brain Drain
While some instructors at MCI have received formal teacher training, the school hopes to sponsor additional staff for professional development—if funds permit.
Pastor Pyne recalled a disheartening episode where five teachers left after completing training sponsored by the school.
“This is what we’re up against. We invest in our people, and they leave because we can’t pay competitive salaries,” she said. “But we won’t give up—we are praying for partners to help us train and retain more teachers so our children can receive quality education.”
A Broader Reflection of a National Crisis
The plight of Mercy Christian Institute is a reflection of the broader education crisis in underprivileged Liberian communities, where a lack of infrastructure, unpaid teachers, and extreme poverty continue to undermine learning.
Without urgent intervention, Pastor Pyne fears many children will be forced to abandon school altogether.
“This is more than just a school—it’s a sanctuary of hope,” she said. “But hope alone cannot sustain us. We need help—now.”
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