MONROVIA – Montserrado County Electoral District #3 Representative Sumo Mulbah has called for a complete overhaul of Liberia's public sector salary laws and demanded accountability for the Monrovia Consolidated School System's US$7.2 million budget amid persistent low pay for teachers.
In a strongly worded letter to the Minister, Rep. Mulbah said Liberia must move beyond political rhetoric and address the livelihood of teachers with permanent legal reforms.
“Almost every issue is turned into a political fight. However, the dignity and livelihood of our teachers must rise above politics,” Mulbah wrote, stressing that his intervention was not intended as destructive opposition.
The lawmaker commended the Executive for placing teachers on the national payroll but warned that administrative action without legal backing is unsustainable.
“This is a very important step. However, putting them on the payroll is only the start. We must now build lasting structures. Relying on temporary administrative decisions to adjust teachers' salaries is not a safe way to make policy,” he said.
Mulbah is pushing for the swift passage of his proposed amendment to Section 16.1 of the Decent Work Act of 2015. He wants the Act, supervised by the Ministry of Labor, harmonized with the Standing Orders of the Civil Service Agency (CSA) to create a single, unified employment law.
According to him, Liberia needs a merit-based salary scale tied to educational qualification that would protect all public servants regardless of which administration is in power.
“By creating a single, merit-based salary scale tied directly to education levels, we will protect our teachers and all public servants. This ensures that no matter which government comes or goes, their baseline financial security cannot be changed,” he argued.
Rep. Mulbah then turned his attention to the 2026 national budget, where education received US$136.3 million out of the US$1.2 billion envelope. The breakdown, he said, shows the Ministry of Education received US$53,868,456, the University of Liberia US$40,587,284, and MCSS US$7,232,709.
Questioning why MCSS teachers remain poorly paid despite the allocation, Mulbah presented his own analysis.
He noted MCSS operates 25 schools and, using a generous estimate of 50 teachers per school, the system would have 1,250 teachers. At US$250 per month per teacher, the annual wage bill would be US$3.75 million.
“Even after spending nearly US$4 million on salaries, more than US$3.2 million remains from the MCSS budget. This is a massive surplus that should easily cover daily operations, administrative costs, and school books or supplies,” Mulbah wrote.
The District #3 Representative said the pattern of impressive figures on paper but little impact on the ground is visible across government, and blamed weak auditing and poor financial management.
“The Liberian people deserve honesty. We see impressive numbers on paper, but the money is never used properly on the ground. If our auditing institutions were doing their jobs well, the math would match reality,” he said.
He called on the MCSS leadership to account for the funds or give way to more competent managers.
“If MCSS leadership cannot give a clear explanation of where these millions are actually going, they must step aside. They need to make way for qualified professionals who can do the job honestly,” Mulbah concluded.