The University of Liberia (UL), the country’s flagship public institution of higher learning, is once again at the center of a heated debate over chronic underfunding, unfulfilled budget promises, and mounting faculty demands that threaten to disrupt the academic calendar.
Appearing before the Liberian Senate Committee on Education this week, the president of the university, Dr. Layli Maparyan, and Comptroller Mr. Togar Gibson painted a troubling picture of the university’s financial state, revealing that the institution did not receive the US$1 million allotted in the 2024 national budget for campus renovations.
The revelation sparked frustration among lawmakers, faculty, and students, as the country grapples with how to properly finance higher education amid competing national priorities.
Comptroller Gibson revealed that the 2024 budget line clearly earmarked US$1 million for renovation works at the university was never received. The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning (MFDP) and the university’s internal financial records show that the money was never disbursed.
“The budget outturn for 2024 shows zero,” Gibson told Senators. “The University of Liberia did not receive the US$1 million earmarked for renovations, and it was not expended on our behalf. The line item remains at 0.”
The revelation was further confirmed by a review of the 2025 draft national budget, which also contains no new allotment for renovations at UL. This absence raises further concerns about the government’s commitment to addressing the university’s crumbling infrastructure, which students and faculty alike describe as “deplorable.”
In response to senators’ inquiries, Dr. Maparyan underscored the gravity of the situation, explaining that the university requires US$3.9 million for full-scale renovations across its four campuses, in addition to US$300,000 for urgent bathroom repairs.
“We requested a total of US$41 million for the 2025 fiscal year,” Dr. Maparyan explained. “We only received US$33 million, and 90% of that is tied up in salaries. That leaves very little for critical infrastructure, research, and academic programs.”
She stressed that renovations are not optional but essential to ensuring a safe and conducive learning environment for the more than 20,000 students enrolled at UL. “Without urgent intervention, classrooms will remain overcrowded, sanitary conditions will deteriorate further, and our faculty will continue to work under unacceptable conditions,” she warned.
At the heart of UL’s current crisis is the University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA), which has issued a list of demands that must be addressed before classes can resume on September 8, 2025.
The faculty’s demands include payment of back pay for adjunct professors and overload compensation for 2025 teaching, renovation of bathroom facilities, described as “inhumane” and “unfit for both students and staff.”, and provision of medical insurance coverage for faculty members, a longstanding grievance.
According to Dr. Maparyan, meeting these urgent demands will require an additional US$500,000 immediately.
“If these resources are not provided within days, the reopening of classes will be in jeopardy,” she told Senators. “Our faculty members have been patient, but their patience is wearing thin.”
The plight of UL’s adjunct professors and part-time instructors who carry a significant share of the teaching load was a major focus of the hearing.
In 2024, during Dr. Maparyan’s investiture ceremony, President Joseph Boakai issued a directive to clear arrears owed to part-time faculty. While well-intentioned, the Ministry of Finance executed the directive by redirecting funds from the 2025 budget line for adjuncts, leaving no allocation for the current academic year.
Comptroller Gibson described the situation as financially crippling “The Ministry of Finance told us that the money earmarked for 2025 adjunct instructors had already been used to pay off 2024 arrears. That leaves us with no budget to pay adjuncts for 2025. The result is a new financial liability that the government must address immediately.”
To date, UL has managed to pay US$251,000 out of the owed amounts to adjunct faculty, but significant balances remain outstanding.
The University requested a Budget of US$41 million for 2025, but the legislature approved a budget of US$33 million for 2025. However, UL President Dr Maparyan told the Liberian senate that of the total amount approved 90% has been allocated to salaries, and US$3.9 million is required for renovations, whilst an additional US$300,000 is needed for bathroom repairs.
Furthermore, the UL President requests that US$500,000 be needed for the faculty’s Immediate demands, with the university’s internal revenue balance as of June 30, 2025: US$865,183
Despite the approved budget, most of UL’s funds are consumed by wages, leaving little flexibility to address infrastructure or programmatic needs.
The financial woes of the University of Liberia are not new. For decades, the institution has struggled with inadequate budgetary allocations, delays in salary payments, and underinvestment in infrastructure.
Observers argue that UL’s problems mirror broader challenges in Liberia’s education sector, where public universities and schools routinely compete for scarce resources.
The Senate’s Committee on Education has vowed to summon the Ministry of Finance to account for the missing funds and to explain why UL’s budget lines were redirected without legislative approval.
Committee Chair Senator Nathaniel F. McGill told reporters: “This is a serious matter. If the Legislature approves US$1 million for UL renovations, the Executive cannot simply reprogram those funds without informing us. We will demand accountability.”
The controversy could also create political headaches for the Boakai administration, which has pledged to prioritize education and youth development. Critics argue that the government’s failure to protect UL’s budget undermines its credibility.
While the budget tug-of-war plays out in Monrovia, UL students remain uncertain about when classes will resume. For many, university is their only path to upward mobility in a country with high unemployment and limited opportunities.
Liberia’s higher education system faces systemic challenges beyond UL. Public institutions such as Tubman University in Maryland County and Nimba County University College also report budget shortfalls, deteriorating facilities, and unpaid faculty.
A 2023 World Bank report ranked Liberia among the lowest in Sub-Saharan Africa for tertiary education access and funding. The report recommended doubling public spending on higher education by 2030.
Key questions remain: Will the government restore the US$1 million renovation funds?; Can UL secure the US$500,000 needed to reopen classes on time? How will the Ministry of Finance address the adjunct professor funding gap? Will the Legislature enforce stricter oversight of budget allocations to prevent future diversions?
For now, the future of thousands of students hangs in the balance.
The University of Liberia’s financial troubles highlight a deeper structural problem within Liberia’s education system: a mismatch between ambitious policy promises and actual fiscal commitments.
Without decisive action to fund renovations, support faculty, and improve learning conditions, the university risks not only academic decline but also a loss of public trust.
As Comptroller Gibson told lawmakers: “We are not just asking for money. We are asking for the government to honor its own commitments. The future of the country’s youth depends on it.”
