Female university lectures in Liberia launch association to pull strength.
By Lewis S. Teh
Monrovia, Liberia, June 2, 2025 – Following months of planning, brainstorming, and engagement with various stakeholders, women lecturers from different universities in the country have officially launched the Association of University Women Lecturers of Liberia (AUWOL -Liberia)
Giving a brief history of the association, Mrs. Comfort Boog-Paye, coordinator of AUWOL-Liberia, said that it took a series of engagements with various stakeholders to bring the association to where it is today.
This association belongs to all women in higher education in Liberia, but the University of Liberia is the founder. So, everything, our offices here, most of our members are here, she said.
She said they started and paused for a while. Still, fortunately, a woman was appointed as President of the University of Liberia, so they were re-energized, adding “So it was based on that, on the 14th of February, we met at Calabash, and we decided that we will launch our association.”
“We are interested in mentoring younger women into the teaching profession, because what we noticed over the years, we only see that of female teachers at the elementary level, at junior high level, but when it comes to high school, the numbers start to drop.”
She added when it comes to university, it became worse, “So we want to mentor young people into the teaching profession. How do we do this? We want to organize a tutorial for the sciences, for mathematics, because that’s where most of the young girls don’t want to be bothered.
She disclosed that there’s a tutorial program, adding that the association will hire people. “They will teach our young girls that have the potential, that want to do the sciences that want to venture in calculus and whatever.”
Mrs. Boog-Paye continued that when that happens the young girls will have confidence which will enable them take up teaching as a profession, saying “We want to have a lot of women in the classroom. That is our primary goal. I want a lot of women into the classroom.”
The Vice President for Students Affairs at AME University, Dr. Augurie Stevens, who spoke on the topic “Raising Awareness of the Roles of Female Lecturers in the Educational Sector of Liberia”, defines lecturer as a person who teaches at a college or university, noting that such person usually delivers lectures or presentations on a particular subject to students.
She describes the role of a lecturer as a person who prepares and delivers lectures or tutorials, conducts research in their field of expertise, and assesses students’ work through exams, essays, or projects.
“We need female lecturers in Liberia because they play a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s educational landscape; they will contribute significantly to academic development, gender equity, and societal transformation”, she underscored.
Accordingly, Dr. Stevens says when that happens, there would be astute academic leadership and mentorship, saying “We’ll see Liberian female lecturers that will serve as educators, that will serve as researchers, that will serve as mentors, that will be able to guide our students through their academic journeys.”
She told the audience that women lecturers’ presence is especially impactful for female students, offering reliable, relatable role models, and fostering an environment encouraging women’s participation in higher education.
In summary, female lecturers in Liberia are instrumental in achieving education, promoting gender equality, and nurturing future leaders. Their multifaceted roles underscore the importance of supporting and empowering women in academia to foster a more equitable and progressive educational system.
She said the launch is a clarion call, adding “Right now all of us, collectively and individually, needs to stand behind this organization that has been accomplished, to stand behind them and promote them as we do the launching here today. This is a significant step that they have taken, and I hope we get together, stay with them, focus on them, our mentees, and do the best we can.”
The President of the University of Liberia, Dr. Layli Maparyan, termed the association launch as timely and extolled the women lecturers for taking bold step in the education sector of the country.
“Alright to the mentees who are in the room; I want to say to you, you can do anything once you dedicate yourself to it. And indeed, to all of our female lecturers, you can do anything, and we will do anything with AUWOL to help us organize and get it done”, Dr. Maparyan said.
She recalled how she became a lecturer in the early part of her career, saying “You know, in the early part of my career, I was a lecturer, and then I entered the tenure track where I had two small children. Now, you know, many of us here started our academic careers with children, and many of the students in our midst also have children.”
According to her, it’s usually the women who are paying attention to their children and job, something she says makes her very sympathetic to women in academia, who also have children, whether they are students, whether they are lecturers, or whether they are administrators.
“And I always want to make sure that our university is hospitable to the demands of family life. All right? That is a policy decision that I always make: health first and family first. But I also know the importance of strengthening institutions so that they are better places for women to work”, she said. Editing by Jonathan Browne
