MONROVIA — Renowned human rights lawyer and former presidential candidate Counselor Tiawan Saye Gongloe has called on the Liberian government to urgently establish a public high school in Central Monrovia, warning that the continued absence of government secondary education in the city’s core is denying thousands of children from poor families access to education.
Speaking during one of his sporadic public addresses, Counselor Gongloe described the situation as deeply inequitable, noting that while Central Monrovia is home to several private and faith-based schools, it has no functional government-run high school serving low-income families.
“There is no government high school in Central Monrovia,” Gongloe stressed, explaining that existing institutions such as College of West Africa (CWA), B.W. Harris, Catholic High School, St. Teresa’s Convent, and SDA High School are all privately run and financially inaccessible to many residents.
A Longstanding Educational Gap
According to Gongloe, the only government high school that was built to serve as a high and that is still serving Monrovia and its environs is William V. S. Tubman High School in Sinkor, leaving students in the city center with limited options. T-High as Tubman High is affectionately referred to, is located in Sinkor, outside the city center. Newport Street public school, he clarified, functions only as a junior high school, not a full secondary institution.
He argued that this imbalance has forced children from Central Monrovia to either drop out after junior high or seek education far from their communities, often at high transportation costs or tuition fees their families cannot afford.
“This is an injustice to poor people’s children,” Gongloe said, calling education a fundamental right that must not depend on income or geography.
Proposal to Repurpose a Public Building
In his appeal, Gongloe urged President Joseph Nyuma Boakai and the national government to “think outside the box” by repurposing an unfinished or underutilized government building in central Monrovia—originally intended to house a national housing bank—into a public high school.
He noted that public funds were used to construct the building, which is currently occupied by displaced persons and some security personnel, arguing that its most beneficial use would be to educate thousands of Liberian children.
“The people’s money was used to build it. The most useful way of using it is to put a school there,” he said.
Call to Reopen Monrovia Central High School
Gongloe specifically proposed the reopening of Monrovia Central High School, a historic government institution that once operated under the name Charlotte Tolbert School, first established during the administration of President William V.S. Tubman.
He explained that the school previously operated in rented private buildings, including a facility now used as the headquarters of Conex and never received a permanent home.
“Here is a building that can hold thousands of poor people’s children,” Gongloe emphasized. “That is what government should do.”
A Broader Education Challenge
Liberia continues to face significant challenges in secondary education access, particularly in urban centers where private schools dominate. Education advocates have repeatedly warned that without expanded public infrastructure, inequality in learning outcomes will persist.
Gongloe concluded his appeal by calling on Liberians across the country to support the initiative, framing it as a national responsibility rather than a political issue.
“I ask all Liberians to support me in putting a government high school in this building,” he said. “That is the best way to serve the people.”
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