Dr. Jarso Maley Jallah is a Liberian educator and academic administrator who has served as Minister of Education of Liberia since February 2024. She is the first graduate of Delaware State University to be appointed to a national cabinet-level position in any country.
Early life and education Jallah spent most of her youth in Liberia before moving to the United States as a teenager, where she completed secondary school at Hope High School in Providence, Rhode Island. She earned dual bachelor's degrees in sociology and communication, and later a master's degree in counseling, from Rhode Island College. She went on to earn a Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership from Delaware State University in 2022.
Career
United States Jallah began her career as a coordinator and counselor for the federal TRIO Talent Search program at the Community College of Rhode Island, and later held a position at the University of Rhode Island. In 2012, she joined Delaware State University as director of academic achievement for the College of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Technology, and went on to become Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs in the university's Division of Student Success. In 2020, she received the American Council on Education-Women's Network Delaware "Rising Star" award for her contributions to higher education.
Return to Liberia In 2016, Jallah returned to Liberia to serve as Deputy Director General for Training and Manpower Development at the Liberia Institute of Public Administration (LIPA). She also served as country coordinator for the Anglophone West African Regional Public Sector Management Training Program, and worked as a consultant to Liberia's Ministry of Education examining the country's Technical and Vocational Education and Training scheme.
Minister of Education President Joseph Boakai nominated Jallah as Minister of Education-designate in January 2024. At her Senate confirmation hearing on 31 January 2024, she told lawmakers that low budgetary support was undermining educational quality in Liberia, and outlined plans to strengthen learning outcomes in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. She was confirmed by the Liberian Senate on 6 February 2024.
As minister, Jallah has served as Liberia's representative on the executive board of UNESCO. She has overseen reforms including the transition of volunteer teachers onto the government payroll, with 56 percent of volunteer teachers transitioned as of March 2025, alongside a restructuring of teacher salaries.
In July 2025, President Boakai honored Jallah with the Dame Grand Band of the Humane Order of African Redemption, one of eleven Liberians recognized that year, citing her leadership in education reform. The Humane Order of African Redemption is Liberia's oldest national honor, established in 1883.
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