Published: January 28, 2026
TODEE DISTRICT, Montserrado County — The Montserrado County #2 Education Officer has acknowledged serious, deep-rooted challenges in Todee District, ranging from poor infrastructure and empty classrooms to persistent teacher absenteeism, according to Amos Karneh.
Speaking recently on the state of education in the district, Karneh said many public schools in Todee are operating under difficult conditions, with inadequate seating, deteriorating facilities, and a shortage of trained teachers. These issues, he added, have negatively affected learning outcomes and contributed to declining student enrollment in some communities.
As part of immediate interventions, Karneh disclosed that 141 volunteer teachers have been recruited from the communities where the schools are located to replace absentee teachers and ensure continuity in classroom instruction. He said the volunteers are serving as a temporary measure while the Ministry of Education works to stabilize staffing levels by placing the recruited volunteers on the payroll.
At the same time, Karneh announced that monthly attendance reporting has now been made compulsory for all teachers in Montserrado County #2. Under the new directive, teachers with unexcused absences will face sanctions in line with the Civil Service Standing Orders.
“We want to restore discipline and professionalism in the system,” he stressed. “Teachers who abandon their posts without valid reasons will be held accountable.”
Beyond staffing concerns, Karneh highlighted the dire state of school infrastructure in Todee, noting that many facilities lack proper seating and basic maintenance. He revealed that the Ministry of Education has included a specific line item in its national budget for school repair and maintenance.
According to Karneh, three public schools in Montserrado County—outside of Todee—have already benefited from that budget, while Yoe Town Public School in Todee is next in line for rehabilitation.
“We are pushing gradually, based on available resources,” Karneh said. “Todee has not been forgotten.”
One of the most pressing cases is Zannah Town Public Senior High School, which was forced to downgrade to a junior high school due to a shortage of qualified teachers. Karneh lamented that the school, constructed years ago by the World Bank, has solid infrastructure, including residential quarters for staff, but continues to suffer from declining enrollment and a lack of trained senior high teachers.
“It is frustrating,” he said. “The structure is there, but without qualified teachers, you cannot run a senior high school.”
Karneh disclosed that the Ministry of Education has begun reassigning teachers from other areas in an effort to restore Zannah Town School to its previous senior high status.
Education stakeholders in Todee say that while the new measures are encouraging, long-term investment and sustained political will will be required to reverse years of neglect and rebuild public confidence in the district’s education system, particularly as most schools are located in remote areas where school-aged children often return to farming or mining with their parents to earn a livelihood.
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