Fendall, Louisiana: Students at the University of Liberia want government to act swiftly to prevent the University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA) from boycotting academic activities in November.
ULFA, in a recent resolution adopted by over 400 faculties, overwhelmingly agreed to disengage from the pending academic semester until all outstanding issues in their MoU with the government are fully settled. Top on the list of demands of the faculty association is the immediate appointment of a new president of the institution in line with recommendations from the search committee that was setup by President Joseph Boakai. Read more here
Reacting to the current impasse, a female student, Jacqueline, who is looking to graduate soon from the university, described the current situation as disappointing and frustrating, “I’m very disappointed; I’m sad, very sad. What a University! Delaying our studies for what reason? In an angry tone, Jacqueline lashed out at the government for what she believes is a lack of interest in students, “The government isn’t in our interest as students. Past and present government; all they seek is their self-interest.”
Another student, Elijah, who has his fingers crossed for graduating in the very near future, said the present situation—if not resolved quickly—has the propensity to derail learning at the university. “It’s disappointing that basic issues, like timely salaries and adequate resources for faculty, are unresolved, affecting both staff morale and students’ learning experience.”
The interim management team of the university, headed by Pro. Dr. Al Hassan Conteh, has told the university community that the team is executing several reform measures aimed at addressing the concerns of the aggrieved faculty, but the students believe that authorities are doing little in the general interest of the students, “I feel embarrassed of how students’ interests are being downplayed by the Government of Liberia and Authority of UL, stated Joseph.
This is not the first time that the faculty association has made demands for faculty welfare, sometimes leading to disruption of academic activities. Said Jeremiah, “I have witnessed a cycle of repeated demands that is becoming embarrassing for us as students. Why do these requests come at the start of the academic year instead of being settled at the end of the previous term?
The present crisis began last semester, briefly disrupting academic activities until President Joseph Boakai stepped in and began the process of addressing the demands from the faculty association. With the crisis still looming on the heels of the start of the academic year, Josiah argued that to publish the academic calendar without first dealing with the faculty concerns speaks of poor planning at the university, “How can an academic calendar be drafted when these issues remain unresolved? It raises questions about the planning and communication involved.”
The students are calling on the government to immediately intervene to ensure that the pending academic semester, as scheduled for November 18, 2024, is not disrupted. “I call on the government headed by H. E. Pres. Joseph N. Boakai, Sr. to do the needful as education is one of the pillars in his ARREST Agenda,” – Michael stated.
Another student, James, called on the government to pay heed to the demands from the faculty to ensure that the university reopens as scheduled. The student blames UL authorities and government for the current crisis, stating that students and faculties should not have to suffer because of bureaucratic delays in addressing the concerns of the faculty association, “I hope the government prioritizes these commitments immediately so that the semester can begin as planned. The blame falls largely on those responsible for fulfilling the MoU, as students and faculty shouldn’t have to bear the brunt of bureaucratic delays and unmet promises.”
Even though most of the students sympathize with the faculty association, some frowned at the group (ULFA) for taking the threat action at the start of academic activities. For Uria, the timing of the action by the faculty group shows lack of interest in students achieving their learning goals, “The faculty needs to understand that these kinds of actions are not necessary, especially when an academic calendar is announced before they come up with these kinds of resolutions. This is also not looking at the students’ progress and success!”
Similarly, Barclay admonished the faculty to take into consideration the negative effects of the continuous faculty go-slow actions on the future of young people in Liberia. Barclay said the faculty’s planned go-slow action undermines smooth academic progress, causing students to overstay at the state-owned University of Liberia, “We are getting older every day that God sends; we cannot be at one level until our children and junior brothers graduate from high school and come join us”.
Amidst the growing concerns of the students and faculty, the UL Interim Management Team, headed by Acting President, Dr. Al Hassan Conteh, has scheduled a major stakeholder meeting on Friday, November 8, 2024. In hopes that this might break the impasse, Jacob and Joshua sounding these concluding notes: “The earlier they (government and UL authorities) respond to these issues, the better it will be for the students to resume classes on the anticipated date” – articulated Jacob; “Let us pray for the best outcome from Friday’s meeting”, stated Joshua.
Note: To avoid disclosing the identities of the students, the names used in this story are not real names but pseudonyms.
