MONROVIA – President Joseph Nyuma Boakai is set to dedicate two newly completed senior secondary schools under Liberia’s largest World Bank-funded education project aimed at transforming the nation’s struggling secondary school system. The initiative, known as the “Improving Results in Secondary Education” (IRISE) Project, is a US$47 million program launched to address widespread disparities in access to quality secondary education, with a focus on rural areas, gender equity, and learning outcomes.
The IRISE Project, developed by the Government of Liberia with technical and financial support from the International Development Association (IDA) of the World Bank, was designed in response to a 2019 concept note and a 2021 school grant manual produced by the Ministry of Education. The project’s central goal is to expand equitable access to senior secondary education and enhance the quality of learning across the country.
Driven by alarming data from national school censuses, the project tackles critical weaknesses in the system, including a shortage of qualified teachers in Math, English, and Science, decaying infrastructure, and high dropout rates, particularly among adolescent girls. One of the main objectives is to reverse the steep decline in girls’ enrollment and completion rates beyond 9th grade, which remains a significant challenge due to entrenched social, financial, and institutional barriers.
The IRISE Project employs a hybrid financing model that combines traditional investment funding with results-based financing. Disbursements are tied to measurable outcomes, known as Disbursement-Linked Indicators (DLIs), with schools and local administrators held accountable for progress and performance.
The initiative is structured around four major components. The first focuses on physical access and infrastructure development, including the construction of three new senior secondary schools in Nimba, Bong, and Margibi Counties. Additionally, 23 junior secondary schools are being expanded to include senior-level classrooms, science laboratories, libraries, and water and sanitation facilities. All construction activities are aligned with the National School Infrastructure Strategy (NSIS) and implemented in collaboration with the Ministry of Public Works to ensure quality and sustainability.
In preparation for Boakai’s upcoming dedication, two of the newly constructed senior secondary schools, one in Ganta and another in Kakata, are nearing full completion. Both are part of the IRISE’s broader infrastructure program being managed by contractors Elvis Tougbaty Dweh and Ezekiel Kun.
The project’s second component is aimed at improving girls’ transition and retention in school. Through targeted awareness campaigns, provision of incentives, and addressing gender-based violence, the component seeks to eliminate key obstacles that force many girls out of school after Grade 9.
The third component is focused on strengthening the teaching workforce through reforms at teacher training institutions and enhanced deployment management within the Ministry of Education. This is essential for addressing Liberia’s chronic shortage of qualified secondary school teachers.
The fourth component strengthens education system delivery, including curriculum reform, textbook management, and the integration of digital skills training at the senior secondary level. It also supports the institutional capacity of the Ministry of Education to oversee implementation.
A hallmark of the IRISE Project is its Community Empowerment Approach (CEA), which places responsibility in the hands of local School Management Committees (SMCs). These committees receive grants in tranches based on clear accountability benchmarks such as the development of school improvement plans, financial reporting, and adherence to spending guidelines.
Twenty-five junior secondary schools across Liberia have been selected for renovation and expansion under IRISE, with additional support for 156 senior secondary schools. These include facilities in places such as Belleh Fasama, Kungbor, Gbarnga Gborketa, Fortsville, Lowensgrove, Gio Town, and Zammie Town, among others.
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