Africa-Press – Liberia. The World Bank has approved a landmark $88.7 million financing package for Liberia’s education sector, marking a significant step in the country’s effort to improve learning outcomes and strengthen its public education system. The funding includes a $60 million credit from the International Development Association (IDA) and a $28.7 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE).
The funding will support the Excellence in Learning in Liberia (EXCEL) Project, a nationwide initiative designed to boost foundational literacy and numeracy, improve access to primary education, and enhance the overall quality and management of the education sector.
This is the first project under the World Bank’s new 2025–2030 Country Partnership Framework (CPF) for Liberia, which aims to build the foundations for more and better jobs in the country by investing in human capital development.
“The Excellence in Learning Project breaks new ground as the most far-reaching project financed by the World Bank in the education sector in Liberia,” said Georgia Wallen, World Bank Country Manager for Liberia. “It supports the ambitions of the ARREST Agenda for Inclusive Development (AAID) to transform the education sector, laying the building blocks for a strong and resilient education system.”
At the heart of the EXCEL Project is a bold commitment to strengthening early learning. The project will implement a Foundational Learning Program (FLP) that targets the final year of Early Childhood Education (ECE) and all six grades of primary education in public schools across Liberia.
The FLP will focus on curriculum prioritization to emphasize core competencies in literacy and numeracy. It will also include the development and distribution of teaching and learning materials aligned with this curriculum, and the delivery of structured pedagogy in classrooms to ensure consistency and measurable improvements.
Schools will be selected based on their readiness to implement the FLP approach, ensuring effectiveness and sustainability of interventions.
The project will be implemented across all 15 counties, reaching 2,337 public primary schools. An estimated 362,000 students, teachers, and staff are expected to directly benefit from the initiative.
“During project implementation, we will focus on improving the learning environment, raising awareness of school-related gender-based violence, enhancing the quality and frequency of education sector data updates, strengthening school supervision through district officers, and fostering stronger community engagement to benefit the entire school community,” said Co-Task Team Leaders Namrata Raman Tognatta, Binta Beatrice Massaquoi, and Alonso Sanchez.
The project places strong emphasis on gender inclusion, with about 48% of direct beneficiaries expected to be female. In addition, approximately 14,000 school management committee members, along with central and county-level staff of the Ministry of Education, will receive training in areas such as school management, data collection, and community engagement.
A major component of the project includes teacher training and professional development. About 12,000 teachers and principals will benefit from training in foundational learning methods, instructional leadership, teacher mentoring and coaching, education data management, and overall school governance.
Over the course of the project, approximately 350,000 students in the final year of ECE and Grades 1–6 will receive new and improved teaching and learning materials.
The EXCEL Project is a key milestone in Liberia’s ongoing education reform and demonstrates a strong partnership between the Government of Liberia, the World Bank, and global education partners.
With Liberia’s education system still recovering from years of conflict and the disruptions caused by the Ebola epidemic and COVID-19, the EXCEL Project offers a timely and transformative opportunity to build an inclusive, equitable, and quality education system.
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