Capitol Hill, Monrovia: Barely four months into the presidency of Dr. Layli Maparyan, the University of Liberia stands the risk of falling into another relapse as the faculty association (ULFA) is again planning to disengage from all academic activities.
The reason for the impending go-slow, according to ULFA, is due to the government’s alleged failure to settle the outstanding arrears of adjunct and overload faculty at the institution.
In a release issued on Wednesday, April 9, 2025, ULFA said adjunct and overload faculty have not been paid for the past one year.
ULFA stated that in early 2025, the Visitor of the University and President of Liberia, H. E. Joseph N. Boakai Sr., in his quest to resolve the prolonged faculty go-slow, mandated the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to unconditionally settle the outstanding arrears of the affected UL Faculty. However, according to ULFA, the Finance Ministry is yet to implement the president’s mandate, leaving the affected faculty members in distress.
ULFA warned that it would disengage from all academic activities if the government and the UL authorities fail to unconditionally resolve the situation in the coming days.
Pundits say the planned faculty go-slow would stifle academic progress at the state-run University of Liberia and potentially undermine the rebranding effort undertaken by the current administration led by American trained academic, Dr. Layli Maparyan.
Maparyan who took over the presidency of the University of Liberia in early January 2025, promised to work with faculty and staff in mitigating the perennial challenges at the institution, including salary delay.
However, ULFA insists that despite these pronouncements, arrears of their colleagues – adjunct and overload faculty – have not been paid even though the affected faculty members are still offering their services.
The UL Faculty Association is urging the government to swiftly mitigate the situation to avoid what it considers “impending embarrassment”.
