Education

The new MoU between the Government of Liberia and WFP sets a clear direction: move school feeding to national ownership by 2028. But direction is not delivery. At the signing, officials celebrated expanded monitoring and “increased financing.” What they did not provide were the details that determine whether a child in Maryland or Lofa actually gets lunch next year. There was no published budget figure, no percentage of the 2026 national budget committed, and no guarantee that school feeding will be protected from cuts. Without that, the programme remains vulnerable every time the budget is debated. There was also no new plan for the hardest part of the job: logistics. The School Connect platform will now cover 300+ schools, but the agreement said nothing about trucks, fuel, storage, or the feeder roads that collapse in rainy season. An app can tell Monrovia that a storeroom is empty. It cannot deliver rice to it. Finally, there was no clarity on accountability. WFP noted that the pilot system had already flagged cases of food diversion. The Ministry did not say what happened to those cases, who was held responsible, or how parents and PTAs can report problems and expect action. Technology without enforcement and community oversight risks documenting failure instead of preventing it. Until government publishes the budget, fixes the last mile, and gives communities real power to audit meals, “national ownership” will remain a slogan. The meals that keep children in school depend on more than signatures. The MoU was signed. Now Liberians need to see the money, the trucks, and the consequences.

In 2026, The Gambia’s classrooms look different from a decade ago. More children are enrolled, more girls are finishing basic school, and digital tools are slowly entering public schools. Government and partners have invested in free tuition, school feeding, and teacher training. Yet the gains are uneven. Overcrowded classes, teacher shortages, high dropout rates in senior secondary, and a skills mismatch persist. Parents in Brikama and rural Upper River still struggle with hidden costs. As the country pushes toward Vision 2050 and the SDG 4 targets, the question is no longer just access. It is quality, relevance, and what happens after the last bell rings.