The Ministry of Education has ordered all County Education Officers across Liberia to immediately enforce a “No Registration Fees” policy in public primary schools, warning schools and parent-teacher associations against imposing charges that could prevent children from enrolling.
Education Minister Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, in a communication dated August 10, 2026, instructed education officials across the country to ensure that no registration fees or unnecessary fees charged by Parent-Teacher Associations (PTAs) are imposed on students in public primary schools.
The directive follows Minister Jallah’s recent announcement during the Ministry’s live-broadcast program, Education at Mid-Week, in which she outlined measures intended to reduce financial barriers to basic education.
According to the Minister, the policy is designed to promote equitable access to education for Liberian children by removing costs that could discourage or prevent parents from enrolling their children in public primary schools.
In her communication to County Education Officers, Minister Jallah emphasized that the policy takes immediate effect and instructed officials to ensure full compliance by all public primary schools within their respective counties and districts.
“Any attempt to levy registration fees on students or parents will be considered a violation of the Ministry’s mandate,” the Minister warned.
The Ministry’s latest directive places County Education Officers at the center of enforcement, requiring them to monitor compliance and ensure that school administrators adhere to the government’s policy.
The Ministry also directed education officials to report challenges encountered during implementation and provide timely feedback on compliance.
Officials were instructed to channel reports to the Ministry’s Director of Communication, J. Maxime Bleetahn, as the government seeks to monitor implementation of the policy across the country.
The directive comes amid longstanding concerns over the financial pressures faced by Liberian families in sending children to school, particularly at the beginning of a new academic year when registration and other school-related charges can create significant barriers for low-income households.
By eliminating registration fees in public primary schools, the Ministry says it is seeking to make access to basic education more inclusive and ensure that financial constraints do not prevent Liberian children from entering the classroom.
The Ministry has meanwhile called on County Education Officers to exercise diligence in enforcing the directive, stressing that cooperation at the county and district levels will be critical to ensuring that the policy is implemented consistently nationwide.
The communication was copied to the Ministry’s Deputy Minister for Administration and Deputy Minister for Instruction.
