Brief History of LICOSESS

The acronym LICOSESS stands for Liberian Cooperative Standard Education School System. It was established on November 4, 1994 and was incorporated on May 10, 1995 to prepare teachers for C & B Certificates. Later in 2004, it was granted permit by the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE), to grant Associate of Arts Degrees and officially accredited by NCHE in 2017. The LICOSESS College of Education was elevated to a full baccalaureate degree-granting institution by the NCHE in 2022. The institution’s Associate of Arts Degree program now fees into the junior and senior level programs at bachelor degree level. The “C” Certificate Program is also a feeder to the Associate of Arts Degree Program. LICOSESS has 14 satellite campuses in 7 counties. LICOSESS was part of the implementation of  the USAID Transforming the Education System for Teachers and Students in Liberia (TESTS) Activity which targeted the training of 3500 teacher aspirants in Early Childhood and Primary Education.

The main purpose of LICOSESS establishment was, and still is, to buttress the effort of the Ministry of Education to support the school system with qualified teachers and administrators for pre-primary, primary and middle school, and senior high levels in Liberia.

LICOSESS’ PHILOSOPHY
LICOSESS as an educational institution has a philosophy that is rooted in the belief that all individuals are unique and have talents that can be nurtured through quality education. We value diversity and inclusivity, recognizing that every individual brings a unique perspective and great deal of experiences to the learning environment. We are dedicated to creating an inclusive and welcoming space where all voices are heard, respected, and valued. We believe that education is a Fundamental Human Right and a powerful tool for personal and societal transformation.

Our core values are: Innovation, Accessibility, Affordability, Doing More with Less, and Community
Service.
VISION STATEMENT
To become the Center of Excellence for the training of professional teachers and
administrators through the provision of equitable, accessible, affordable, quality, and
relevant teacher education for improving teaching and learning outcomes.
MISSION STATEMENT
To assist teacher-students in developing the passion and skills for becoming life long, 21st
century teachers as well as provide them with the highest quality content and pedagogical
knowledge and experiences needed for day to day classroom instruction.

PUBLIC AND COMMUNITY SERVICE ATTRIBUTES
LICOSESS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION service attributes encompass various initiatives and programs that extend beyond traditional educational offerings to benefit communities, the people of Liberia, and the world at large; to this end, programs are designed to achieve the following:
i. Provide educational leadership in the community, public life of Liberia,
and sub-region as far as teachers education is concerned;
ii. Provide service learning opportunities;
iii. Initiate partnerships with local schools;
iv. Promote professional development for educators;
v. Promote community engagement events;
vi. Conduct research on educational related issues and advocate for policies
that benefit teachers and schools in the country; and
vii. Prioritize diversity and inclusion in its programs and initiatives.

UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAMS OF THE COLLEGE
Currently, LICOSESS COLLEGE OF EDUCATION has seven (7) departments in its
Associate of Arts Degree Program which include; the Department of School
Administration; Department of General Science; the Department of Social Studies; the
Department of Mathematics; the Department of Language Arts, Department of
Primary Education; and the Department of Early Childhood Education. In 2023,
LICOSESS began piloting the Department of Braille Education. LICOSESS has a
dedicated instructor who was trained in Botswana and South Africa to train sighted
teacher aspirants how to read and write Braille. Since 2019, LICOSESS College of
Education has trained 128 sighted instructors how to read and write Braille. The
inclusion of Braille courses in LICOSESS curriculum supports the United Nations
Convention on right of persons with Disabilities (UNCRPO) which was signed and
ratified by the Government of the Republic of Liberia, to ensure that all persons with
disabilities have a right to quality education.

At baccalaureate level,the college runs the Department of Early Childhood Education,
Primary Education, Secondary Education, School Administration, and General
Studies. Students reading Secondary Education have specialization in Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, English, History, and Geography. Our delivery of teacher training programs enables students to acquire the relevant knowledge, skills, and attitudes to become classroom teachers specifically for the primary and junior high school, and senior high school administrators and proprietors-edupreneurs.

Governance Structure

The Senior Academic Management Team (SAMT), Executive Council (EC) and Board of Trustees (BOT) are the three bodies spearheading the academic, administrative, managerial and advisory affairs at LICOSESS College of Education. The Senior Academic Management is composed of The President, Vice President for Academic Affairs, Vice President for Administration, Vice President for Admission and Records the Finance Manager and the Dean. They are responsible for matters related to curriculum and degree requirements as well planning, implementing, and coordinating the educational programs of the College. The Executive Council appoints members of the SAMT and is the body which specifically reserved right to approve all decision unrelated to academic affairs such as the Bylaws of the Board of Trustees and other collective bargaining agreements in force. The Board of Trustees serves as a forum for discussing issues and problems of general college concern, shall advise the President and shall provide, through its existence, a formal body for each constituent group to express its viewpoint and settle issues of disputes as well as approve long term administrative Policies.