Representative Musa Hassan Bility. Photo source: Prime FM radio show
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Claim: Nimba County district #7 Representative, Musa Hassan Bility claimed, “80% of the people who go into the classrooms in this country are still volunteer teachers.”
Verdict: False! According to the Liberia Annual School Census report, only 16% are volunteer teachers
Full Text
Nimba County district #7 Representative and political leader of the Citizens Movement for Change (CMC) Party, Musa Hassan Bility, has claimed that 80% of teachers in Liberia are volunteers.
Representative Bility made the claim on February 26, 2026, when he appeared on a local radio station, Prime 105.5 FM in Monrovia.
Representative Bility claimed, “80% of the people who go into the classrooms in this country are still volunteer teachers.” This claim is found between 25:26 and 26:10 minutes/seconds of the over two-hour radio talk show.
The show was also carried live on the entity’s official Facebook page with more than 3k views, 107 comments, and over forty emojis.
The CMC political leader’s claim came as a sharp critique of the government’s priorities in the National Budget, adding that large sums are being allocated to certain ministries and agencies, leaving out those he considers important.
What is volunteerism
According to Merriam-Webster, volunteerism is the act or practice of doing volunteer work in community service. In contrast, a volunteer is a person who voluntarily undertakes or expresses a willingness to help others or support a cause without expecting anything in return.
A regular employee, one employed by an entity/company or another person, usually for wages or salary, and in a position below the executive level.
In Liberia, volunteer teachers are not on the government’s payroll or any other payroll, do not expect wages or salaries at the end of a period, and sometimes receive stipends for transportation or nothing at all.
Verification
Since the claim concerns the country’s educational system, DUBAWA thought it was very important to ascertain the facts. To begin with, the researcher reached out to the claimant via messenger to request any sources or evidence supporting his claim, but nothing materialised.
The researcher also searched the 2024/2025 Liberia Annual School Census report. According to that report, on page 83, Liberia has 61,300 teachers, of whom 51,633 (84%) serve as regular staff members, while 9,667 (16%) serve as volunteers.
The report further stated that Private schools employ the highest share of teachers (23,212), followed by faith-based (17,558), public (18,033), and community schools (2,497), while Public schools show the highest reliance on volunteer teachers (38%).
Conclusion
The claim made by Nimba County district #7 Representative and political leader of the CMC political party, Musa Hassa Bility, that 80% of the people who enter classrooms in Liberia are still volunteer teachers is false.
