21/07/2025
Former Deputy Education Minister during the CDC administration, Aton Kesselly writes👇👇
There should be no debate on this matter. I have consistently challenged anyone who claims that the IRISE project began, whether in concept or implementation, before 2018 to provide a single piece of evidence to support that claim. And to make it easier, I’m not even asking for documents that specifically mention the word “IRISE.” I am simply asking for any reference—be it a policy note, meeting record, or formal request—that indicates the Government of Liberia was engaging the World Bank to initiate such a large-scale investment in secondary education before 2018. None exist.
Let’s be honest: do you truly believe that a project of this magnitude—with such significant spending on secondary education, would not have been mentioned, even in passing, in the Education Sector Plan (ESP) 2017–2021, commonly known as Getting to Best (G2B‑ESP), or in any of the Joint Education Sector Review (JESR) reports written prior to 2018?
As the custodian of Liberia’s education plans and policies, and as the principal liaison between the Ministry of Education and all education development partners—both domestic and international from February 15, 2018 to January 22, 2024, I can state with full confidence that IRISE, in any form or shape, did not exist prior to 2018.
I have challenged those making this claim of the existence of IRISE prior to 2018 to point to any official education document-the sector plans, JESR reports, Local Education Group (LEG) meeting minutes, or Education Sector Development Cooperation (ESDC) meeting records-that even hints at the concept of IRISE before 2018. To date, no one has been able to do so.
As Chair of the LEG and ESDC, host of the JESR, and the Clearinghouse for all education development activities in the Republic of Liberia from February 15, 2018 to January 22, 2024, I can say this with no political motive or need to defend the Sonii-led Ministry of Education: IRISE—its concept and funding—began in 2018 under the Weah-led administration.
But don’t just take my word for it. Go and search through all the key Ministry of Education documents. You will not find a single mention of IRISE, or even the idea behind it, in any document written before 2018.
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