Monrovia – The Liberia Macroeconomic Policy Analysis Center (LIMPAC) early this week donated L$500,000 to the leadership of the University of Liberia Students Union (ULSU) towards its ongoing scholarship drive on the campuses of the state-run university.
LIMPAC said the fund is intended to financially assist students, who are not in the position to continue their studies this semester.
Presenting the cheque on the campus of the university, the executive director of LIMPAC Del-Francis Wreh revealed that it is based on Minister Boima S. Kamara’s desire and determination for education, mandated LIMPAC to work with ULSU to provide whatsoever assistance to support the government so as to keep students in school.
According to him, the partnership with ULSU leadership started last semester when LD$1,000,000 was donated to support the scholarship program.
For the record, he said money donated towards the scholarship is the money from the Government of Liberia, which cannot be accredited to an individual.
“We cannot continue to support development without investing in education, for us to succeed, we have to invest in university students; we see it as imperative,” he said.
The LIMPAC executive director underscored the need for business community to invest in education to help produce the rightful people to manage their businesses.
Director Wreh urged students to not allow their “poverty CVs” to suppress them, noting everyone in top positions today has their poverty CVs.
“My advise to you is to use your poverty CVs to generate that determination to move to your success, do not blame others, it won’t give you that courage to move forward,” he said.
He added that ULSU leadership should work with stakeholders to put together a framework that allows periodic donations to the students’ leadership scholarship program and there should be a published comprehensive report.
Also speaking Assistant Minister Alieu Nyei explained that the work of LIMPAC is evident driven and it is based on fact.
He asserted that through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the splendid idea of LIMPAC, a modern center is about to be constructed at Department of Economics to create research opportunity in term of software for economics students, which will be on path with some great universities in the world.
Minister Nyei stated that this would help people to do evident-based analysis in decision making.
Receiving the donation, the acting president of the University of Liberia Student Union, Jerome A. D. Barnard, commended the donor for their kind support which he said, arrived at the time students are really in need.
Barnard revealed that is the responsibility of the students’ government to lobby with stakeholders to make sure students get to school every semester, through this, LIMPAC quickly came to their calls.
He added that scholarship beneficiaries would be increased up to 5,000 students for the money to be used for the intended purpose.
LIMPAC is a research institution that supports environment in formulating and evaluating policy for using evident to derive the findings of whatever policy or policy prescription.