The vanguard Student Unification Party (SUP) has threatened to declare the President of Liberia, Joseph N., Boakai, unwanted on the campuses of the University of Liberia (UL) if his government cannot ensure that lecturers resume academic activities at the university in the next forty-eight (48) hours.
The UL-based student political movement says it has gotten credible and reliable intel that President Boakai is planning to activate his Visitor status to take a tour of the University in a day or two from now; however, the party made it categorically clear that, inasmuch as the University of Liberia remains closed as a result of the government’s deliberate and intentional abandonment, President Boakai is not welcome at the University of Liberia (UL).
According to SUP, President Boakai’s pending visit amidst the university’s sad closure is a disservice and disregard to the university’s students, and they will do all in their power to ensure that the President’s pending visit at the University is aborted.
“As education is an imperative element to human development and fundamental to nation building, SUP remains uncompromising in its call for the continuation of the academic semester. The party shall settle for nothing less than the full and immediate resumption of academic activities at the University of Liberia. The government of Mr. Boakai must be told that, any attempt to not adhere to this demand in the next 48 hours, we will rally the university students to implement unspecified revolutionary consequences,” SUP threatens in a press release issued Monday, June 17, 2024.
SUP warned the Boakai administration to pay proper heed to the issues at the University of Liberia and stop playing politics with the university. It emphasized that the University of Liberia is the state’s only highest public institution of higher education, and it deserves all the relevant attention to ensure its enhancement and global competition.
The vanguard party observed that, amidst no buses and several appalling conditions at the university, it is even more demoralizing and pathetic that over 20,000 university students will be out of school because teachers cannot get paid by the government, but the very government allegedly made over US$500,000 available for senators to go on vacation spree in Buchanan in the name of retreat and the President is flying private jet in a lavish fashion.
SUP said it sees these actions of the government as a deliberate neglect of the education of the students of the University of Liberia, which consequently violates Article 6 of the Constitution and Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
It can be recalled that on Sunday, June 16, 2024 the University of Liberia Faculty and Staff Association (ULFASA) issued a release, in which it disclosed that it convened in a combined emergency general assembly on Friday, June 14, 2024 and made decisions on issues affecting their welfare.
In the release, ULFASA observed that, being wary of the repeated promises and failures of the UL administration to address concerns of their welfare, they decided to disengage from all administrative and academic activities on all campuses of the University of Liberia, and further resolved there would be no activity on the UL campuses until the UL president and his cabinet leaves the UL without any precondition; all arrears and current salaries of part-time faculty are settled without any precondition; the longstanding promotion of faculty members is implemented without any precondition; all retroactive payments of staff members are settled without any precondition; all disparities of staff are settled without further delays; the bus for Sinje is provided as agreed upon; a comprehensive audit of the UL is executed; and a comprehensive credentials audit is executed.
However, on the same day ULFASA issued its release, the University of Liberia administration, through the office of its Vice President for UL Relations, Cllr. Norris L. Tweah, issued a release that observed that UL remains open, with an urge that all employees continue normal academic and administrative work to ensure a successful conclusion to the current academic semester, in keeping with the revised academic calendar.
The UL administration said any move to the contrary is intended to sabotage and undermine the planned launch of the University of Liberia Doctoral Studies/Programs, scheduled for Wednesday, June 19, 2024, as well as would have the consequential effect of interfering with the university final exams’ schedule and its pending 104th Commencement Convocation, also scheduled to run from August 5—17, 2024.
“Expected to attend and formally launch the first terminal degree program at the University of Liberia is His Excellency Joseph Nyuma Boakai, Sr., President of the Republic of Liberia and Visitor of the University of Liberia.
“Several high-profile guests and dignitaries have also been invited to grace the auspicious and historic terminal degree launch, including development partners, the Commission on Higher Education, the Association of Liberian Universities, among others,” the UL administration’s release noted.
The UL administration encouraged all legally employed faculty to continue their regular activities on the university campuses, and reminded them that all unauthorized absence without excuse for ten working days is tantamount to resignation.