Rivercess County — At Gorzohn Public School, the education of more than 100 children depends entirely on four unpaid volunteer teachers.
With no government-assigned educators and no consistent financial support, the school has become a stark example of the widening of educational inequality between rural and urban communities in Liberia.
Principal Edward G. Faijue says the crisis began after the Ministry of Education failed to place local teachers on the government payroll, even though several had completed the required biometric registration.
“Last year, we were called for biometric registration,” Faijue said. “We complied with everything. Later, they told us only teachers with C-Certificates would be employed. Some of my colleagues have those certificates, but none of us were placed on payroll.”
According to Faijue, teachers were advised to wait while their records were reviewed. One year later, no appointment letters have been issued, and no salaries have been paid.
“They took our names, but nothing came out of it,” he said.
As a result, all four teachers currently serving at the school are volunteers.
“We have 104 students this academic year,” Faijue explained. “Only four teachers, and none of them are being paid.”
The shortage is already taking a toll on learning.
Teachers often miss classes while searching for food or small-paying jobs to survive, and some eventually leave altogether.
“Yes, sometimes teachers are absent,” Faijue admitted. “They complain because there is no pay. We encourage them to stay, but it’s very difficult.”
With limited government support, the burden has shifted to the community.
George K. Peterson, a parent with five children enrolled at the school, said parents are trying to assist the volunteer teachers, though not everyone agrees.
“We know the teachers are volunteers,” Peterson said. “But some community members don’t want to help because they believe the benefit is only for parents with children in the school.”
Peterson recalled that during the tenure of former principal Joseph Smith, parents made small contributions to support teachers.
However, as enrollment increased, disagreements emerged.
“Now we have more children, and people are beginning to realize that we must help,” he said. “We are planning community meetings to discuss the issue.”
Still, community contributions cannot replace trained, salaried government teachers.
Volunteer educators often leave in search of better opportunities.
Recently, a non-certified teacher left Gorzohn for a mining area in Gold Camp to find work, leaving students without instruction.
“That is why the school has remained closed since the break,” Peterson said. “Teachers cannot survive.”
One of the volunteer teachers, Anthony Paygar, shared his long-standing frustration.
“I have been teaching here for over 10 years,” Paygar said. “I am still not on the government payroll. We don’t know what the Ministry is doing. We keep hearing promises, but nothing changes.”
Despite repeated assurances about employment for C-Certificate holders, Paygar said no progress has been made.
“We are still waiting,” he said. “But I will continue teaching because these are my people. The children need education.”
To survive, Paygar said he farms and does odd jobs after school hours.
“If I leave, who will teach them?” he asked.
Education observers warn that rural schools like Gorzohn Public are increasingly disadvantaged compared to urban schools, which have trained teachers, better infrastructure, and reliable salaries.
In Rivercess County, children are expected to compete in national examinations while being taught by unpaid volunteers who may leave at any time.
Without urgent government intervention, the education gap will continue to grow — and the children of Gorzohn will continue to bear the cost.
