Published: January 30, 2026
MONROVIA — The Civil Service Agency (CSA) on Thursday mounted a detailed defense of the government’s payroll integration process for volunteer teachers and health workers, telling the House of Representatives that more than 3,400 individuals have been placed on the national payroll, while hundreds more remain under review due to banking, documentation, and fiscal constraints.
Appearing before legislators, CSA Director-General Josiah Joekai said the agency has worked closely with the Ministries of Finance and Development Planning, Education, and Health to address long-standing payroll gaps, particularly for volunteers who have worked for years without regular pay.
Joekai explained that his deputies were absent from the hearing because they were attending a budget execution workshop, but emphasized that coordination among the institutions responsible for payroll and human resource management remains “healthy and collaborative.”
According to Joekai, the Ministry of Education submitted a total of 2,148 Personnel Action Notices (PANs) in batches last year for volunteer teachers seeking payroll placement. He said the CSA reviewed all submissions, officially acknowledged them, and worked with the ministry’s technical team to complete the process.
However, he acknowledged that the rollout encountered challenges.
“If I tell you there were no issues, I would be lying,” Joekai told lawmakers, citing incomplete or incorrect bank account information as the main obstacle. Some applicants provided only one bank account number, while others submitted inaccurate details. He said the CSA is continuing to work through the respective human resource offices to resolve those cases.
On the health sector, Joekai said 1,005 volunteer health workers have so far been integrated into the payroll. He disclosed that in December the CSA received 829 additional PANs, but due to the closure of the payroll at year-end, only 500 could be processed immediately. The remaining 329, he said, are expected to be fully integrated into the national payroll system in February.
To prevent workers from going unpaid, Joekai said a special payroll arrangement was created with the approval of the Ministry of Finance, noting that the government is moving away from supplementary payroll systems.
He also informed lawmakers that 208 teachers from the Monrovia Consolidated School System were placed on the payroll after the necessary budgetary allotment was created.
Altogether, Joekai said a total of 3,406 teachers and health workers have been placed on the payroll, a figure that will be reflected in the CSA’s annual report to be submitted to the Legislature and the Public Accounts Committee early next week.
Beyond education and health, Joekai raised similar payroll concerns at the Ministry of Internal Affairs, where some employees were previously receiving salaries only in Liberian dollars due to missing U.S. dollar account information. He said those issues are being addressed as staff submit complete banking details.
Joekai further disclosed that 2,396 volunteer health workers nationwide are currently under review for payroll inclusion, stressing that funding availability will determine how quickly they can be absorbed.
“These are people who have worked four, five, some even six years,” he said, urging lawmakers to support the necessary appropriations to allow the CSA and line ministries to complete the process.
He assured legislators that the CSA will continue to provide technical oversight to ensure transparency, accuracy and fairness in payroll management.
Discussion about this post