Published: January 16, 2026
TODEE DISTRICT, Rural Montserrado County — Zinc sheets are gone, classrooms are open to rain, and students are squeezed onto bare floors — a growing education crisis in Todee Statutory District that residents say has persisted for years with little meaningful response from authorities.
Nearly two years ago, a violent storm tore the roof off Yoe Town Public School, exposing classrooms to harsh sun and rainfall. Once a major learning center for children from more than 10 surrounding towns and villages, the four-classroom building still stands “bald-headed,” with its zinc sheets blown away and learning spaces stripped of basic materials.
As the 2025/2026 academic year progresses, the structure remains largely unrepaired, leaving hundreds of children at risk of losing yet another academic year.
Yoe Town Public School is among the most populated government-run schools in Fahn-Seh Clan, but it lacks armchairs, blackboards, toilet facilities and adequate teaching staff, according to community leaders. When classes are occasionally held, students sit on bare floors or crowd into unsafe spaces. During the rainy season, learning stops completely, residents said.
“We have tried everything,” Fahn-Seh Clan Chief Joseph Yowateh said in an interview. “We engaged the former District Education Officer, and we are still engaging the current one, but nothing has changed.”
With no major government intervention, the community has turned to self-help efforts, pooling limited resources to carry out minor repairs in hopes of reopening the school. But residents say those repairs are far from sufficient to restore a structure that has been severely damaged for years.
Yowateh warned that the long-term consequences are already emerging.
“If nothing is done urgently, our girls may be forced into early marriage, and our boys will end up as zogos,” he said. “Education is the only shield we have.”
Beyond infrastructure, residents also raised concerns about teacher accountability. Yowateh alleged that some teachers assigned to schools in Todee District are drawing government salaries while teaching in private schools in Margibi County.
“Names are on the payroll here, but the classrooms are empty,” he said, urging the Ministry of Education to verify teachers assigned to the district.
The situation at Yoe Town Public School reflects broader challenges across Todee District, where residents say educational decline has become widespread.
At Koon Town Public School — the only government-run high school in Ding Gola Chiefdom — administrators and students are appealing for a modern facility to accommodate a growing student population. Students cited overcrowded classrooms, poor infrastructure and the absence of a library and dormitory facilities for those traveling long distances to attend school.
The school serves students from three clans — Manquah, Ding and Meim — and runs two academic sessions daily, from kindergarten through 12th grade, because of limited seating capacity, residents said.
Todee resident Varney Williams described the crisis as a human tragedy fueled by systemic neglect. He said many parents have big dreams for their children, but those dreams are being “buried” as rural students struggle to advance beyond high school. Williams urged parents to invest beyond secondary education and challenged national leaders to confront barriers preventing rural students from accessing universities.
In a personal intervention, he pledged to pay tuition for three un-enrolled students for the 2025/2026 academic year.
Perhaps the starkest symbol of neglect, residents say, is the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Public School in Tumay, named after Liberia’s former president but operating under what community leaders described as appalling conditions. Established 10 years ago, the school lacks trained and qualified teachers, adequate seating and basic infrastructure. Of about 170 enrolled students, only two volunteer teachers are working to keep the school functioning, residents said.
Across the district, residents estimate that most of Todee’s 48 public schools face similar challenges, including collapsing buildings, chronic teacher shortages and a near-total lack of learning materials.
Residents argue the crisis is not solely the result of storm damage, but the consequence of prolonged inaction and weak oversight.
While extreme weather tore roofs from classrooms, they say years of silence from education authorities have deepened the damage — leaving hundreds of children to learn in unsafe conditions, with instruction disrupted and educational opportunity slipping away.
When contacted, Todee District Education Officer Prince Foeday acknowledged that some of the challenges facing the district’s education system are real, but disputed others. He declined to clarify which claims he considered accurate, saying he could not discuss the matter further over the telephone.
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