This research was a study of teacher education in Liberia (1980 1989) with regard to the reported lack of qualified teachers in the schools of that country. Thirty six educators with experience in the schools of Liberia were either interviewed or given a questionnaire where they were asked to identify problems and proposed solutions. Four conclusions were drawn from the study findings. First, the critical factor for the improvement of overall teacher quality in Liberia is to increase the effectiveness of the country's pre service teacher education programs. This study found that the general level of overall competency among Liberian teachers is seen as being so low that they could not benefit from in service teacher education programs as they are structured, even if all of the problems associated with the in service teacher education programs were effectively addressed. Second, the critical factor for the improvement of the quality of the output of pre service teacher education programs in Liberia is the rigorous enforcement of the admissions standards for these programs. As long as pre service teacher programs continue to admit unqualified students to the programs, and permit such students to remain in and complete the programs, the overall output from the programs will continue to be sub standard. Third, suggestions from a previous study to use the rural teacher training institutes for in service teacher education and to use the elementary education faculty at the teachers colleges for in service teacher education would prove to be counterproductive to the overall teacher education program in Liberia. Fourth, additional funding for teacher education in Liberia would be useful only if such funding is tied directly to time specific goal attainment.
It was recommended that the federal government of the United States, the World Bank, and other international organizations suspend all educational aid to Liberia, until suc<...