The Senate Standing Committee on Education and Public Administration has commenced public hearings, beginning with officials of the Tubman University Faculty Association (TUFA), relative to the disengagement previously launched by the association.
The Committee’s hearing was held on Monday, March 21, 2022, bringing officials of TUFA face to face with members of the Senate Committee on Education and Public Administration to discuss the way forward on resolving several counts raised by the association and ensure that members of the faculty disengage their strike and return to the classroom.
Addressing members of the Committee, the President of Tubman University Faculty Association, Francis Fuka, lamented that the association has written several communications to the administration of the institution, but to no avail.
TUFA’s President also informed the Committee that the Board of the university has also been notified of all the communications served the administration of the university, but has chosen to play deaf ears to their concerns.
Amongst several concerns raised, the President of TUFA informed the Senate that paramount amongst the concerns are the lack of offices for faculty members, dilapidated classrooms, hazardous bathrooms, no housing facilities for faculty members and the lack of internet facilities to do research, even though US$97,000.00 has been budgeted for research, of which the President’s office alone benefits from US$30,000.00 for research, leaving faculty with nothing for research.
The President of the TU Faculty also indicated that the computer lab is another sorrowful scene, with 31 students being taught with just 6 computers.
Accompanying the President of TUFA was the Secretary-General of the Association, who happens to be the Chairman of the Department of Mechanical Engineering.
According to the Secretary-General, there is no laboratory for engineering students to do research, and even if a projector is taken to the classroom for students to witness videos as a substitute for laboratory research power outage is a serious impediment, which prevents the functioning of projectors.
However, as TUFA has demanded the resignation of the president of the university before any negotiation, which was done as the former President, Dr. Wreh Wilson, resigned a few days ago, followed by the appointment of Emmanuel Sieh Wreh as Acting President, members of the Senate Committee on Education and Public Administration have appealed with the faculty association to return to the classroom to begin normal academic activities as their concerns will be adequately taken before the plenary of the Liberian Senate for speedy redress.
It can be recalled that on February 26, 2022 the Tubman University Faculty Association launched a strike to disengage from the classroom following the failure of the university’s administration to address several concerns raised by the association.
The strike by TUFA precipitated radical action by students of TU to close other grade schools in Harper, Maryland County.
The situation at the Tubman University was brought to the attention of the Liberian Senate by Maryland County Senator, Gbleh-Bo Brown.