In Summary:
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Martin Kollie claimed that the national budget allots only US$20,000 to Cape Palmas High School, US$30,000 to Sanniquellie High School, and US$15,000 to Frank Tolbert Public School, while assigning US$559,180 to the Office of Speaker Koon for entertainment
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We fact-checked this claim by reviewing the 2026 approved national budget and found that the claim about the figure he mentioned is correct.
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However, these allocations to the schools are subsidies for special projects and are not the budget for the overall running of these schools
On April 27, political activist Martin K.N. Kollie claimed in a Facebook post that the 2026 national budget allocates just US$20,000 to Cape Palmas High School, US$30,000 to Sanniquellie High School, and US$15,000 to Frank Tolbert Public School, while allocating US$559,180 to the Office of Speaker Koon for entertainment.
Kollie made the claim in the wake of the Armed Forces of Liberia’s recent recruitment exercise, during which many applicants reportedly struggled with basic reading tasks. He argued that the situation reflects a pattern in which “a few greedy politicians pocket almost everything every year,” leaving key sectors like education underfunded.
The Claim
Kollie’s exact post: “Are you still asking why a lot of AFL applicants can’t read? A few greedy politicians pocket almost everything every yearr: Cape Palmas High Sch. US$20K; Sanniquellie High US$30K; Frank Tolbert Public Sch. $15K; Entertainment for Speaker Koon: US$559,180.”
Rating Justification
To verify this, we reviewed the approved 2026 National Budget cited by Kollie.
Our findings show that, under the Ministry of Education, the US$20,000 expenditure item is indeed allocated to Cape Palmas High School. This can be found on page 281 of the 2026 approved National Budget as subsidies.
According to the International Monetary Fund, subsidies are a transfer of resources from a government to a domestic entity without an equivalent contribution in return and can take many forms, including direct grants to domestic companies, tax incentives, or favorable terms for financing.
On page 282 of the Approved National Budget, US$30,000 is also allocated to the Sanniquellie High School.
Also, US$15,000 is listed for Frank Tolbert Public School, and this allocation can be found on page 281 of the National Budget.
Meanwhile, a review of the 2026 National Budget shows that a total of US$53,868,456 was allocated to the Ministry of Education in Liberia.
Out of this amount, US$37,959,399 (US$37.9 million) goes to Compensation of Employees, US$8,673,057 (about US$8.7 million) is used for Goods and Services, US$1,555,000 (US$1.5 million) falls under Grants while US$4,000,000 (US$4 million) is allocated to the Public Sector Investment Program (PSIP).
Additionally, we found that US$1,681,000 (approximately US$1.6 million) is allocated to Subsidies. It is under subsidies that these schools listed by Kollie are allotted these budgets.
To seek further clarification, we contacted Mr. Othello B. Tarbah, Director-General of the Legislative Budget Office, to determine whether these subsidies allotted to the schools are intended for their overall running.
In response, Mr. Tarbah clarified that the subsidies are “for a specific project under the PSIP (Public Sector Investment Plan)” and are not meant to cover the full operational costs of those institutions, such as teacher salaries and other recurrent expenses.
The Public Sector Investment Plan (PSIP) is the section of the government budget that funds long-term development projects, including infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and other capital investments.
On the other hand, the budget allocates US$559,180 to the Office of Speaker for “Entertainment Representation”.
According to the Director-General of the Legislative Budget Office, in the national budget, “Entertainment Representation” refers to funds earmarked for the Speaker’s office to carry out official hospitality and protocol functions. These include hosting guests such as parliamentarians from ECOWAS Parliament and the Mano River Union, and organizing receptions, supporting cultural or social events, and maintaining official engagements.”
The allocation also covers activities intended to project the image of the Legislature, strengthen diplomatic relations, and provide hospitality during official functions, he said.
Conclusion
Based on our review of the 2026 approved National Budget, we conclude that the claim made by Martin Kollie, that the government allocated US$20,000 to Cape Palmas High School, US$30,000 to Sanniquellie High School, and US$15,000 to Frank Tolbert Public School, while US$559,180 was allocated to the Office of the Speaker for entertainment purposes, is correct.
However, these appropriations are intended for specific projects and do not cover the full operational costs of the institutions mentioned, as implied by Kollie.
In the 2026 National Budget, the Government of Liberia allocated a total of US$53,868,456 to the Ministry of Education. Out of this amount, US$1,681,000 (about US$1.6 million) is allocated to subsidies, and it is from these subsidies that the schools listed by Kollie are benefiting.
