PHOTO: The Author
By Kokpar B. Wohwoh
Alumni ID #19587
Class of 2007
The University of Liberia is Liberia’s flagship university, but its heart – the faculty – is suffering.
Our teachers go for months without pay. They teach hundreds of students in hot, overcrowded rooms with no chairs, no electricity, no toilets, no labs, and no internet. They often use their own money to buy markers and print handouts. Yet they are asked to keep working in these same conditions without any improvement.
This is a lack of respect and dignity for the profession.
Because UL was created by law and carries the name of the Republic, the Government of Liberia must take charge. These problems are too big for the University Administration alone.
Only the Government, through the Ministry of Education, the Legislature, and the Ministry of Finance, can provide the funding, fix the campuses, and ensure accountability. This will also stop the constant strikes and protests and restore public trust.
Why does this matter for the whole country?
When UL fails, all Liberian education is looked down upon. When UL is strong, our degrees are respected everywhere. UL trains over 20,000 students who will become our future teachers, doctors, nurses, and leaders. If they are poorly trained today, Liberia will suffer tomorrow. And when good teachers are not respected, they leave. Liberia will lose its best scholars.
To save education in Liberia, we must first save its teachers. Pay them on time, give them tools to work, and treat them with respect. Saving UL is saving Liberia’s future.