GRAND BASSA COUNTY-The Government of Liberia has officially launched the county phase of its flagship Back-To-My-Classroom Campaign in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County.
With an ambitious goal to return 250,000 out-of-school children to learning spaces over the next three years, the initiative is central to President Joseph Boakai’s broader education reform agenda.
Led by the Ministry of Education, in collaboration with development partners, the Buchanan launch focused on practical solutions to long-standing barriers in enrollment.
Among the most significant breakthroughs is the planned issuance of birth certificates to undocumented children—a necessary document for formal school registration that thousands currently lack.
Speaking at the launch, Deputy Education Minister, Nyekpeh Y. Forkpa, representing Education Minister Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah, declared that this campaign is not just about access, but about redrawing the map of Liberia’s future—child by child, classroom by classroom.
UNICEF’s Representative, Andy Brooks, reinforced the scale of the challenge and the urgency of response, urging stakeholders to ensure the campaign reaches every child who has fallen outside the margins of the education system.
Grand Bassa Superintendent, Hon. Karyou Johnson, hailed the campaign as a turning point for families across the county, and emphasized that education is not a luxury but a right and responsibility.
The Minister of Health, Dr. Louise M. Kpoto, formally launched the birth certificate component of the campaign.
She highlighted the essential link between civil identity and access to opportunity, calling the initiative a transformative step for Liberia’s children.
The Buchanan event also served as a model for an integrated school enrollment strategy that the ministry plans to replicate in seven additional counties.
From health services to civic documentation and school registration, the campaign brings multiple sectors together under one vision: every child in school, every future empowered.
By. Joetta Kullah
Education Reporter, ELBC