IPNEWS: The World Bank has approved a new $88.7 million education package for Liberia—comprising a $60 million IDA credit and a $28.7 million grant from the Global Partnership for Education (GPE)—to strengthen foundational learning across public primary schools. The initiative, dubbed the Excellence in Learning in Liberia (EXCEL) Project, targets about 350,000 students nationwide.
The project will enhance literacy and numeracy through improved teaching materials, structured pedagogy, and teacher training for roughly 12,000 educators. It will also strengthen education management, data systems, and community engagement across 2,337 schools in all 15 counties. Nearly half of the direct beneficiaries are expected to be girls.
World Bank Country Manager Georgia Wallen described EXCEL as “the most far-reaching education project ever financed by the Bank in Liberia,” noting its role in building strong foundations for lifelong learning and national development.
