Monrovia, Liberia– A thorough investigation by Verity News in November 2024 exposed an alleged scandal of US$1.6 Million at the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS). After about six months of internal investigation, the Board of the MCSS has recommended to President Boakai the immediate suspension of MCSS Superintendent James M. Momoh.
The Board of Directors of the Monrovia Consolidated School System (MCSS) has formally petitioned President Joseph Nyuma Boakai to intervene in what it describes as a “deeply troubling and escalating crisis” within Liberia’s largest public school system.
In a letter addressed to Sylvester M. Grigsby, Minister of State, the Board laid out urgent recommendations including the immediate suspension of Superintendent James Momoh and Assistant Superintendent, citing irreconcilable differences and a string of unresolved accusations of corruption, insubordination, and mismanagement.
According to the Board, Superintendent Momoh unilaterally signed unauthorized contracts totaling US$1.6 million, without budgetary backing or board approval.
These include a US$1.2 million contract for school chairs and another US$451,150 deal for laboratory equipment, both allegedly violating procurement and finance laws.
Some of the supplied goods, such as laboratory equipment, remain at the port at risk of auction due to unpaid dues.
The Board is also alarmed by the recruitment of 500 additional volunteer teachers, bringing the total to 604, a move made without board consent or funding plans, which has sparked student and teacher protests.
A March 27 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), brokered after nationwide student protests, obligated the government to place vetted volunteers on payroll by May 2025, noting that thetoxic and unstable environment cannot be allowed to persist.
The situation now threatens to spiral into full institutional collapse and bring embarrassment to the government,” the letter warned.
The Board has called for the General Auditing Commission (GAC) to launch a full financial and operational audit of MCSS, and requested that an interim leadership be put in place to stabilize the institution during investigations. It also urged a review of the disputed contracts to avoid litigation.
According to the Board, the previous attempts to mediate, including a committee report submitted to the President in November 2024, have yielded no action, the Board now seeks high-level intervention to address the administrative breakdown and outstanding vendor payments that could spark legal consequences.
Attachments to the letter include the MOU, vendor contracts, audit requests, FIU correspondence, and records of prior communications with the Superintendent.
The Board emphasized that unless swift action is taken, MCSS risks facing “continued unrest, potential lawsuits, and an erosion of public trust in the education system.”
