In a major step to address ongoing concerns surrounding the staffing and payroll management within the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS), the government of Liberia, through the Civil Service Agency (CSA), on Wednesday announced the kickoff of a comprehensive personnel verification and payroll audit exercise.
This move comes in response to protests by teachers and students in the MCSS, who have raised concerns over unpaid volunteer teachers and discrepancies in the management of school staff.
Speaking to the media during a press conference, the Director General of the CSA, Dr. Josiah F. Joekai stated, “We are all aware, as a matter of fact, that our daughters, sons, brothers, and sisters in the MCSS school system sometimes protest. The ghost law action of their teachers across the 27 MCSS schools, and they were protesting because volunteers had a ghost law, which became a serious concern.”
This situation disrupted normal activities and raised alarms within the government, prompting immediate action to resolve the issue.
The CSA Director General emphasized that students should be in classrooms, not on the streets, protesting on behalf of their teachers. “Whether it is the employed teachers or volunteers, it is the right of the children to stay in the classroom, and it is the right of the government to ensure that those who provide services are properly cared for and their well-being is taken care of,” Dr. Joekai stated.
To address the concerns, key government agencies, including the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, and the Civil Service Agency, held consultations. “We engaged with the MCSS management, the Faculty Representative Council, and all stakeholders involved, and reached an understanding that the Civil Service Agency should immediately conduct a full-scale personnel verification and payroll audit of the MCSS,” Dr. Joekai added.
The objective of the audit is to ensure that all volunteer teachers are legitimate and actively contributing to the educational process. “While it is true that submitting the names of hundreds of volunteer teachers is important, it is also prudent for us to verify those volunteer teachers to make sure that they are indeed teachers who are in the classroom providing volunteer services,” he remarked.
As of today, three teams have been deployed across 27 schools under the MCSS to begin the verification process. The total number of employees and volunteers involved in the exercise is significant, with 977 government employees and 604 volunteers being verified across the various schools. In an effort to make the process more organized, the CSA has set up multiple verification centers in key schools, where teachers and volunteers from nearby schools will converge to have their credentials checked and verified.
Some of the schools designated as verification centers include the William V.S. Tubman High School, G.W. Gibson High School, and Newport Junior and Senior High School. The breakdown of estimated personnel across these schools includes varying numbers of employees and volunteers. For example, William V.S. Tubman High School alone is expected to have around 30 employees and 26 volunteers, while G.W. Gibson High School will host 59 employees and 24 volunteers, and Newport Junior High School will see 33 employees and 45 volunteers.
“We have selected these verification venues because we want to ensure the process is as efficient as possible,” the CSA Director General explained. The teams will be moving between the schools rather than having all teachers and volunteers assemble in one location, thus making the process smoother and more manageable.
Further complicating the issue, some schools have reported unusually high numbers of volunteer teachers, such as More Than Me, which has 3 employees and 21 volunteers. “This is why the verification process is crucial,” the CSA representative commented, acknowledging the irregularities in staffing and the importance of ensuring that each volunteer is accounted for.
According to him, the CSA has also taken a proactive step by extending the verification process to other state-owned institutions, beginning with the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority (NaFAA).
He indicated that this is the first time the CSA has received a request from a state enterprise to conduct such an audit, and the representative was quick to praise NaFAA for its transparency and commitment to good governance.
“For the first time, the Civil Service Agency has received a request from the National Fisheries and Aquaculture Authority to move in and conduct a personnel verification and payroll audit of their institution. This is quite laudable. We haven’t seen this from any state-owned enterprise before, and we are very pleased to see NaFAA take the initiative,” Dr. Joekai noted.
The decision to conduct the audit internally, rather than outsourcing the process to private entities, was also highlighted. “We don’t want to pay thousands of dollars to private entities. We don’t want to outsource it. We want to keep the burden on the government minimal, and we are supporting this process by providing lunches and logistical support,” he explained, adding that they would work closely with NaFAA’s administrative team to ensure a smooth and effective verification process.
The CSA’s verification teams are now actively working at MCSS and NaFAA, with plans to expand the exercise to other state-owned enterprises in the future. “We will continue with this exercise and will work with any other state-owned enterprises that invite us for the same audit,” Dr. Joekai confirmed.
One of the most significant changes introduced in the process is the inclusion of a consent form for employees. The form requires employees to give their consent for verification, allowing the CSA to scan and match their credentials, national identification numbers, and appointment letters against existing records in the system.
This process also includes a deduplication system to identify and eliminate any discrepancies, ensuring that there are no instances of duplicated or fraudulent records.
“We will ensure that all employees are classified correctly,” he added. “For instance, if someone is an accountant but is mistakenly listed as an engineer, they will be reclassified. Similarly, those in positions that require higher qualifications, such as directors, will need to provide proof of their credentials. If they do not meet the requirements, we will recommend reclassification.”
This verification process is part of the broader effort by the CSA to enhance transparency, accountability, and good governance within Liberia’s public service sector. It will also help to eliminate any instances of misuse of government resources, such as employees on extended leave who are still receiving salaries.
“We want to ensure that the people who are on the payroll are the ones who are working, and that those who have been absent for long periods are removed from the payroll. This is part of our commitment to good governance,” Dr. Joekai concluded.
