PHOTO: Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh, UL Acting President (Photo – New Public
By Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh*
In June 2024, the University of Liberia (UL) experienced a pivotal leadership change with the appointment of Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh as interim president, a move initiated by President Joseph Nyuma Boakai in response to calls for leadership reform. This transition aimed to address the university’s long-standing issues, including unpaid part-time lecturers, positioning Dr. Conteh as a crucial figure expected to restore stability and efficiency. With his extensive administrative background and a prior presidency at UL, Dr. Conteh was tasked with not only managing administrative functions but fundamentally restoring trust within the university. This article explores the enduring struggles of UL’s part-time lecturers, and the impact of this issues on the university’s integrity and effectiveness under Dr. Conteh’s guidance.
- Appointing Dr. Conteh: A New Hope for UL?
In late June this year, President Joseph Nyuma Boakai appointed Dr. Al-Hassan Conteh to lead an interim Management Team at the University of Liberia (UL) amidst severe instability and unrest. The Faculty and Staff Association had called for the removal of Dr. Julius Sawolo Jolokon Nelson, citing his “ineffective leadership” as a major factor in the university’s ongoing problems, including unresolved salary and contractual issues for part-time lecturers, inadequate facilities, and unsafe working conditions. Essentially, students, lecturers and staff painted Nelson’s way of leading as central to the UL ‘wahala’.
- Initial Optimism for Change and Ongoing Challenges
Dr. Conteh, a former president of UL, was tasked with restoring order, managing the search for a new president, and addressing the university’s pressing issues. Though his appointment faced some nominal resistance from certain groups, there was a general sense of calm and optimism—perhaps due to Dr. Nelson’s removal, the change in government and Conteh’s long term experience—that the university might finally be on a “rescued” path from its past troubles, including the longstanding poor treatment of part-time faculty.
However, clocking towards three months into Dr. Conteh’s interim tenure, the situation for part-time lecturers remains dire, despite optimistic statements made during his first media appearance on September 4, 2024. In other words, The Christmas Eve outlook still doesn’t look promising for UL part-timers.
Dr. Conteh reported that the work of the Search Committee for a new UL President was nearing completion and that the Ministry of Finance was working to ensure the university’s budget was fully implemented. He also claimed that salaries for faculty and staff, including adjunct faculty, were up-to-date. This assertion about partt-time faculty pay – the purpose for this article – however, is deeply misleading and does not reflect the harsh reality faced by many part-time lecturers.
- Unpaid Wages and Impacts
As of September 11, 2024, numerous part-time lecturers at UL have not been paid for the just-ended semester, which started in January. While some have received payments, many others remain unpaid, highlighting a significant flaw in the university’s payroll system. The situation is exacerbated by a lack of transparency and what looks like persistent administrative inefficiencies. The justifications and excuses provided by the HR Department and Payroll Section for paying some part-timers while leaving others out are totally elementary unjustifiable, unreasonable, and deeply provocative, lacking coherence and failling to exhibit logical consistency.
By saying salary payment of adjunct faculty was up-to-date, Dr. Conteh’s statement presupposes that the university no longer owes part-time lecturers. This statement starkly contradict the actual experiences of these educators, who are angered by it, and may peacefully gather at his office this week or soon to express their frustrations. The reality is that many part-timers are still waiting for payments from the current and, some, including previous semesters. This discrepancy reflects not just a failure in administrative processes but a troubling disregard for the well-being of these essential staff members.
The plight of part-time lecturers at UL is not only disheartening but a severe blow to the university’s integrity, albeit often taken for granted. The frustration among part-time instructors is palpable, with many expressing their discontent in private forums and their chatrooms. Their patience is wearing thin, and a potential outburst could further tarnish the university’s reputation or taint the progress being made. It seems no one cares about the University of Liberia’s tarnished reputation anymore, as many have come to believe that the only way to resolve issues at the institution is through creating trouble, protesting, and causing damage. This could be the underlying reason why students resort to setting up roadblocks, igniting tires, and forcibly driving other students and professors off campus when they seek to have their concerns and grievances addressed. What a sad reality for the nation’s premier educational institution!
- Allegations of Corruption and Systemic Exploitation
The situation of part-timers’ salary delay is further complicated by allegations of corruption within the university’s payroll unit. Unconfirmed reports are that payrolls have been manipulated, with names omitted and funds misappropriated. Instances of missing bank account details, despite past payments through the same accounts, and discrepancies in the amounts sent to banks point to systemic exploitation and irregularities. Some banks of late sent back the entire payroll of lecturers because the total amount for salary payment far exceeded the number of name listed for the purpose. For instance, at least 10 part-time lecturers reported that their account numbers, which had been used for salary payments over several semesters, were suddenly missing from the payroll, resulting in delayed payments. Now, they, along with dozens of others, have been placed on a supplementary payroll, where their pay will likely take an unreasonable amount of time to arrive.
The provoking question is, who removed their names or account numbers from the payroll? How come did this happpen? These instructors had signed contracts before teaching. Why couldn’t their account numbers be retrieved from their contract forms? Given that they had been paid in previous semesters, why not refer back to the last payroll to retrieve their account numbers? Moreover, if that was challenging, after department heads has sent instructional analyses, confirming that these instructors had taught for the semester, if HR and Payroll somehow did not have their account numbers, why weren’t the affected instructors notified through their department heads or contacted directly to provide the missing information? Why keep the information secret until they bega agitating? Why not make a public service announcement or post information on the campus bulletin boards? I raise these questions as possible solutions to the problem, unless, otherwise, there was a deliberate attempt to misdirect the instructors’ rightfully earned salaries. One can suspect something under someone’s sleevs. These issues, one may want to claim, not only delay payments but also suggest a pattern of theft masked as administrative incompetence. Luckily, during his September 4th media appearance, Dr. Conteh revealed that the UL is being audited. The facts will come out.
- Broader Implications and the Path Forward
The impact of these issues extends beyond financial hardship on these educators. Many part-time lecturers are struggling to support their families, with some unable to pay for their children’s education as posted in their chatrooms. The financial strain may lead to unethical behavior among some educators (this is unacceptable) when schools are in session, contributing to a culture of corruption and further undermining the university’s credibility and the learning quality.
Dr. Conteh’s belief that all part-time lecturers have been paid is a stark misrepresentation of the reality. He has been misled by individuals who have obscured the truth, introduced unnecessary obstacles, and failed to address the underlying causes of these issues. This pattern of misinformation and inefficiency reflects longstanding challenges faced by both past and current leaders, not just of the UL but the country. Such behavior poses significant risks to our country’s progress and national development.
The silence of the part-timers is not an indication of satisfaction but a temporary restraint. When their frustration inevitably erupts, the fallout will be significant and detrimental to the university’s standing. The urgent need for Dr. Conteh and the university administration to acknowledge and address these issues cannot be overstated. The integrity of the University of Liberia and the well-being of its part-time lecturers hang in the balance. And that’s the hidden reality Dr. Conteh must know.
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**Danicius Kaihenneh Sengbeh is an award-winning journalist and seasoned media and communication professional with over two decades of impactful experience. Since 2001, his career has spanned roles in mainstream journalism, social justice advocacy, and corporate communication. He currently lectures in Journalism at the University of Liberia’s Department of Communication and Media Studies. He can be reached via +231777586531/dakasen1978@yahoo.com**
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