As the University of Liberia (UL) grapples with an ongoing crisis fueled by delayed salaries, insufficient funding, and deteriorating infrastructure, the Executive Director of the Center for Transparency and Accountability in Liberia (CENTAL), Anderson Miamen, has criticized government's “lip-service” in addressing the institution's challenges.
Miamen’s comments, shared on his social media page on Tuesday, come amid a controversial decision by the UL Board of Trustees to ban student political activities on campus, a move that has drawn sharp criticism from concern citizens and student advocates. “Blame the Government of Liberia for lip-service in funding the University of Liberia and not the students for demanding their rights to quality and modern education,” Miamen declared.
Miamen asserted that the government’s underfunding of the University, coupled with its failure to implement long-term reforms, has pushed students to the edge, fueling protests and unrest that the authorities now seek to silence by banning student politics. “I do not support violence or the destruction of public properties,” Miamen clarified. “However, these are often the outcomes of sustained dissatisfaction and neglect comes from the very conditions the government has fostered through inaction.”
According to Miamen, it is disingenuous for the UL administration and the Board of Trustees to attribute the University’s problems to student activism when the real issue lies with those responsible for funding and governance, namely, the Government of Liberia, the Presidency, and lawmakers, many of whom sit on the very board that approved the political ban. “Don’t ban student politics for reasons attributable to the government and lawmakers,” he said.
“Instead, take responsibility and act.” The CENTAL Executive Director challenged national leaders to ask themselves hard questions about their priorities and willingness to make real investments in education. “What is so big about transforming this one university into a modern, technology-driven, and globally competitive institution?” Miamen asked. “What is so difficult about allocating USD 45 to 50 million to the only Monrovia-based public university serving thousands of students from across the country?”
He criticized leaders for choosing “shortcuts” over lasting solutions, arguing that the government’s consistent failure to respond to the grievances of faculty and students, many of which have been raised for more than two decades reveals a dangerous level of indifference. “Why are leaders so wicked to themselves and their country,” he continued, “by ignoring lasting solutions to problems and instead attempting to find temporary fixes?” Miamen did not stop at criticism as he laid out a path forward, urging the government to reallocate funds from high government officials’ discretionary spending toward the revitalization of UL and other public education institutions.
“Cut waste in other sectors including budget lines for the President, Vice President, Speaker, Chief Justice, and others, and adequately fund the University,” he urged. “Make UL a conducive environment for learning, not just for the children of the poor, but for the children of officials who currently prefer private universities because of the dire conditions at UL.” The state of the Capitol Hill Campus, Miamen said, is emblematic of the larger issues at hand. Many of the buildings, he argued, have “outlived their usefulness” and fall far short of meeting 21st-century academic standards.
“The government should be aiming at a bigger, long-term plan to build modern structures and facilities that will cater to contemporary learning needs,” he stressed. The CENTAL Boss appealed to the UL administration and Board of Trustees to reverse the decision banning student politics and, instead, engage students as partners in the process of institutional transformation. “Don’t scapegoat the students. The government should blame itself for the issues at the University and act to find lasting solutions,” he said.
Author: Zac T. Sherman
