ALL CHILDREN IN SCHOOL BY 2015 Global Initiative on Out-of-School Children LIBERIA LIBERIA COUNTRY STUDY Profiles of Children Out of School March 2012 Cover image: ©SBA 2011 2 Contents Acknowledgements ................................................................................................................................ iv List of Tables .......................................................................................................................................... vi List of Figures .......................................................................................................................................... vii Acronyms ............................................................................................................................................. viii Executive Summary ................................................................................................................................. 1 Country Profile and Context ........................................................................................................ 1 Profiles of Excluded Children ..................................................................................................... 3 Barriers and Bottlenecks ............................................................................................................. 5 Recommendations ......................................................................................................................... 7 Chapter 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 9 Background of the Study ..................................................................................................................... 9 Purpose of the study ......................................................................................................................... 10 Chapter 2 Country Profile and Context ................................................................................................. 11 Country Profile .................................................................................................................................. 11 Geographic ..................................................................................................................... 11 Demographic .................................................................................................................. 11 Political ............................................................................................................................ 12 Socio-Economic ............................................................................................................. 12 Education Sector Context ................................................................................................................. 13 School Age Population ................................................................................................. 13 Literacy Rates ................................................................................................................ 13 Structure of the School System .................................................................................. 14 School Administration ................................................................................................... 15 Quality of schools .......................................................................................................... 15 Teachers in Liberian Schools ...................................................................................... 17 Schools for children with disabilities ........................................................................... 19 Vocational Education .................................................................................................... 20 Non-Western Education ............................................................................................... 21 Five Dimensions of Exclusion (5DE) Model ....................................................................................... 21 Principal Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 22 Study Methodology ........................................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 3 Profiles of Excluded Children ............................................................................................... 24 i Overview and Analysis of Data Sources ............................................................................................ 24 Overview of Children in School ......................................................................................................... 25 Out-Of-School Children and Children at Risk of Being Out of School: Magnitude of the Problem ............................................................................................................................ 26 Disaggregation of OOSC by Dimensions ........................................................................ 26 Profile of OOSC in Dimension 1 - Pre-primary Age Children Out of School ...................................... 27 Profile of OOSC in Dimensions 2 and 3 ............................................................................................. 29 Profile of OOSC in Dimensions 4 and 5 (Children at Risk of Exclusion) ............................................ 34 Analytic Summary ............................................................................................................................. 36 Chapter 4 Barriers and Bottlenecks ...................................................................................................... 37 Socio-Cultural Factors ....................................................................................................................... 41 Influence of Poro and Sande Societies ..................................................................... 41 Lack of parental awareness of the importance of education .................................. 41 Lack of parental awareness of the importance of Early Childhood Development .......................................................................................................................................... 42 Households with too many children ........................................................................... 42 Children’s refusal to go to school ............................................................................... 43 Early marriage ................................................................................................................ 44 Pregnancy ...................................................................................................................... 44 Poor health and disability factors ................................................................................ 45 Economic Factors .............................................................................................................................. 45 Household Poverty ........................................................................................................ 45 Household Food Insecurity (Hunger) ......................................................................... 46 Loss of parents or guardians and attending support sources ................................ 46 Child Labor Practices ................................................................................................... 47 School-Related Factors ..................................................................................................................... 49 Demand and Supply Challenges: problems meeting needs at primary schools . 49 Practice of teachers requesting monies from students ........................................... 54 Rumors and fears of sexual harassment at school ................................................. 54 Bullying at School .......................................................................................................... 55 Punishment and children’s refusal to accept discipline ........................................... 55 Distance away from the nearest school ..................................................................... 55 Political Factors: Governance, Capacity, and Financing ................................................................... 56 General Education Policies ......................................................................................... 56 MOE Capacity ................................................................................................................ 56 Financing ........................................................................................................................ 56 ii Chapter 5 Policies and Strategies.......................................................................................................... 59 Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 59 National Programmes ....................................................................................................................... 59 International Legal Framework ......................................................................................................... 59 National Legal and Policy Framework ..............................................................................................