Dr. Maparyan to address these challenges during her tenure by prioritizing financial stability, ensuring a consistent academic calendar, and improving campus sanitation.
University of Liberia, Fendell Campus– State-run University of Liberia’s newly inducted president, Dr. Layli Maparyan, Dr. highlighted several challenges facing the institution, including unpaid faculty and staff salaries, irregular academic schedules, and poor sanitation across campuses, raising health and environmental concerns.
By Jaheim [email protected]
Dr. Maparyan has pledged to address these challenges during her tenure by prioritizing financial stability, ensuring a consistent academic calendar, and improving campus sanitation to create a conducive learning environment for everyone within the University community.
Said Dr. Maparyan, “I want to move rapidly toward regularizing facility pay in terms of both tiny and amount, starting with research about why pay raises haven’t occurred in the past and what we can do to prevent similar instances in the future.”
Factors Leading to Unpaid Faculty Salaries and Irregular Academic Calendar
One major challenge at the University of Liberia is the issue of unpaid salaries and inconsistent academic schedules. Dr. Maparyan emphasized the urgent need to address the long-standing problem of cleaning up the payroll, which has been neglected for years.
Previous presidents, including Dr Emmett Dennis, Dr Ophelia Inez Weeks, Dr Julius Sawolo Nelson, and President Al-Hassan Conteh, failed to implement reforms to resolve the ongoing salary issues faced by faculty and staff.
These challenges have led the University of Liberia faculty and staff to halt teaching due to unpaid salaries for part-time lecturers and poor working conditions. Faculty members are concerned about the financial struggles affecting part-time staff and the negative impact on educational standards, urging past leaders to take immediate action.
In protest of unpaid salaries, faculty and staff decided to remain outside the classroom, causing frustration among students when resolutions stalled. This led students to hold peaceful rallies demanding a return to classes, which sometimes escalated as police used excessive force to disperse the protests.
Dr. Maparyan remarked, “I pledged to regularize UL’s academic calendar so as to be predictable and dependable year in and year out and coordinate with other institutions in Liberia and internationally. Students want to know when school will be starting and when it is ending as well as when commencement will be held.”
“Students need to be able to plan, particularly where other opportunities are waiting, such as jobs, fellowships, and graduate studies. We can’t put UL’s student’s progress and peace of mind when the academic calendar is unpredictable, and I intend to fix this problem” she added.
Dr. Maparyan aimed to eradicate the systemic abuses of the past, rebuild trust in the UL’s payroll, and remove numerous “ghost workers” whose names are fraudulently on the payroll—and many who are unqualified to teach the University. Recognizing issues, she aimed to implement UL reforms that would ensure trust in the system, and eliminate past abuses of corruption.
“As part of this process, the payroll itself needs to be verified and cleaned up. Cleaning up payroll makes more money available. It is impossible to do your work if you are worrying whether you will be able to pay rent, afford your food, get transportation or pay your kid’s school fees. So it helps the entire campus to get things right,” she said.
Addressing Poor Sanitation Across UL Campuses
Educational institutions are evaluated based on factors like academic quality, faculty expertise, research output, and infrastructure. At the University of Liberia (UL), which has campuses at Capitol Bye Pass and Fendall, restroom conditions are poor. Subpar sanitation facilities raise significant concerns, particularly for women and girls who face increased health risks and often avoid using restrooms except in emergencies.
Dr Maparyan said that she ensures safe and well-functioning bathrooms around campus, stressing the need to put sanitation supplies to support public health with the comfort and identity of the University community.
According to a UNICEF report, poor sanitation is responsible for around 88% of deaths related to diarrhoea and diseases. A World Bank study estimates that poor sanitation costs Liberia $17.5 million annually, equating to $4.9 per person or 2% of the national GDP, with the greatest burden on the poorest populations according to a desk study carried out by The Water and Sanitation Program (WSP). Improving sanitation at UL could alleviate some of these economic impacts and promote better health within the university community.
She urges the University community, students, facility and staff to assist in keeping the environment healthy and beautiful by showing love and respect to the campuses.
“I feel strongly about ensuring safe and well-functioning bathrooms around campus. I am putting sanitation supplies to support public health with the comfort and identity of the University community. It is impossible to work or study when playing the card of nature. New bathrooms may not happen overnight, but I will begin working on it asap and keep it a high priority,” she said.
