The University of Liberia, the nation’s premier institution of higher learning, stands today at a crossroads. Its aging infrastructure, stretched budgets, and overburdened faculty threaten to undermine not only the quality of education but also the future of Liberia’s intellectual and professional capacity. The recent Senate Committee on Education hearing on Thursday, September 4, 2025, revealed the stark reality of the situation.
University President Prof. Dr. Layli Maparyan made it clear that the campus is in urgent need of repair, estimating that $3.9 million is required for general renovations, with an additional $300,000 needed to refurbish deteriorating bathroom facilities. These figures come on top of a shortfall in the national allocation for the institution. While the university requested a $41 million budget, it received only $33 million, of which 90 percent is earmarked for salaries.
The implications of this financial gap are profound. When nearly all resources are directed to salaries, there is little left for maintaining classrooms, laboratories, libraries, and basic sanitary facilities. The physical decay is mirrored by growing unrest among faculty, who have demanded overdue pay for adjunct work, compensation for teaching overloads, and medical insurance. President Maparyan has warned that without at least $500,000 to address these immediate concerns, classes cannot safely resume, threatening a complete halt to academic activities.
The state of UL is more than a mere administrative inconvenience. It is a national embarrassment. Students attend classes in buildings with paint peeling from walls, leaking roofs, and bathroom facilities unfit for use. In such conditions, the promise of a world-class education is hollow. Ghost names on payrolls, mismanaged resources, and deferred infrastructure upgrades compound the problem, leaving faculty morale and student confidence at an all-time low.
Beyond finances, this crisis raises fundamental questions about governance and prioritization. How can a country expect to cultivate the next generation of doctors, engineers, lawyers, and leaders if its flagship university is allowed to crumble? Investment in UL is not optional. It is essential. Renovating classrooms, repairing bathrooms, and ensuring faculty are fairly compensated are not acts of luxury; they are acts of survival for Liberia’s educational system.
The University of Liberia has long been a beacon of opportunity in West Africa. Its decline, if unaddressed, threatens to dim that light for generations. The government, civil society, and private sector must act decisively, providing the necessary resources and oversight to restore the campus to a condition worthy of its mission. Students deserve safe classrooms. Faculty deserve fair treatment. And Liberia deserves an institution that can equip its citizens to compete in a global economy.
Time is short. Without immediate intervention, the University of Liberia risks becoming not a launchpad for the country’s future, but a cautionary tale of neglect and decay. The choice is clear: act now, or watch one of Liberia’s most vital institutions collapse.
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