UL Turns Market Ground --Administration Allegedly Exploits Students No matter how the rain falls into a river, it will never overflow until creeks, streams and tributaries empty into the river. So it is, as President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf publicly described the school system as rotten, yet maintains her friend, Etmonia David Tarpeh, as minister of education. There will always be mass failure in public tests, such as the University of Liberia’s entrance, with condemnation from the local and international community. Recently, teachers from rural Liberia converged on the ministries of education and finance for their salaries. For weeks the teachers, some of whom have nobody in Monrovia, struggled on the stairs of the two ministries, and ended up with one of the teachers dying. Their presence in Monrovia meant students were left with no instructional staff in the counties. At the same time, teachers of the MCSS boycotted classes for a reason, and students coming in support to their teachers were allegedly police-brutalized. All of these students want to seek higher education, and fall to the University of Liberia’s alleged exploitation. The university’s concerned alumni has come down on the administration. “We are aware that our educational sector is currently experiencing numerous challenges, ranging from financial constraint to inadequate and ill-prepared teachers in various learning institutions around Liberia. In spite of all these challenges plaguing our education system, we are of the strongest conviction that Liberian students are not as academically dull as was recently portrayed by some selfish bigots and egotists, who consistently abuse the crude learning environment of students in our country.” According to the Concern Alumina Group from the University of Liberia, which issued a press release on Tuesday, September 3, 2013, “Sadly, our beloved University of Liberia and the entire educational sector of our country have come under serious ridicule, both locally and internationally, by the current administrators at the helm of leadership at the University of Liberia. This situation further derails the image of the state premiere university, satisfying the personal aggrandizement of the president of the University of Liberia and his code of officers. “Furthermore, the University of Liberia has been used as a market ground to exploit desperate and destitute young Liberians who are eager to obtain higher education and contribute to the growth and development of our nation. “We strongly condemn the just published University of Liberia entrance and placement examination’s results, which clearly contradict the results of the West African Examination Council (WAEC), which indicated that over 65% of students in the senior high division performed to expectation. “We also want to register this contradiction emanating from the administration of the University of Liberia that it is currently effectuating a zero-percent student growth policy, but was able to register over 26,000 students to sit the entrance and placement examination. “Having said this, we believe that this action on the part of the University of Liberia is criminal in nature and a clear attempt to exploit money from down-trodden Liberian youth and elders, who desire to attain quality education. “Conclusively, we are calling on the committee on higher education, the committee on claims and petition of the House of Representatives, the Commission on Higher Education, Ministry of Education, and the President of the Republic of Liberia to speedily address this incredible situation to avoid Liberian students from taking up strike action, that will impede the smooth operation of the University of Liberia. Any attempt to ignore this urgent call to addressing this embarrassing situation and the Concern Alumina Group from the University of Liberia will work along with the affected students to take stringent action, which will seriously embarrass the fragile peace and stability that we are currently enjoying.”
Posted on: Tue, 03 Sep 2013 20:57:46 +0000