Monrovia – The political leader of the alternative National Congress (ANC) and Presidential hopeful Alexander B. Cummings has donated one Million Liberian dollars to the University of Liberia student Union for student’s scholarship.
Cummings donation comes in the wake of tuition increment at the state run university from L$175 to US$4 per credit.
The Board of Trustees of the state-run University of Liberia or UL recently sanctioned tuition increase from US$2.05 to US$4.00 per credit hour at the undergraduate level, despite resistance from students.
The university complains that it suffers US4$7.7m budget deficit, arguing that its faculty has not grown to attract grants, and the government contributes a US$15m against a US$29 million budget to which undergraduate level students are only contributing US$2.05 per credit hour.
Since the tuition increment at the level of the University, students have been unsatisfied thus protesting in the streets, some students also storm the offices of lawmakers at the capitol building.
In the midst of tuition increment at the university, campus based political party; University of Liberia Students Union (ULSU) has since been lobbying seeking funding for scholarships for students on the campus.
Several offices were written by ULSU to contribute towards its scholarship fund drive to help students who desire to get the scholarship.
In order to ease the burden on students for the issue of tuition, ULSU on Monday launched a scholarship fund drive on the campus of the University with Cummings serving as key launcher.
Donating a million Liberian dollars as a starting point for the fund drive, encouraged students to continue to prepare themselves in the midst of all struggles they are going through.
Donating the money at program marking the launch of the University of Liberia Student Union scholarship program, Cummings encouraged student of the university to take seriously their education as Liberia is depending on the students to move the country forward.
He said education is a very important venture urging students to help change Liberia, “because education is very important. He at the same time called on all Liberians to take advantage of the scholarship and not to be left behind,” he noted.
The University of Liberia Student Union ULSU launched a scholarship funds drive to enable student be in school.
The President of ULSU Daniel T. Woart said the purpose of the scholarship is to help thousands of students that do not have the money to enter school to enable beneficiary enrolled in school.
He said the government of Liberia did not realize that the US$4 per credit was going to put thousands of students out of school, because most of the students don’t have that money to pay.
“The increment has affected students of this school, most students find it very difficult to remain in school because they cannot afford the feeds by the school administration,” he noted.
He said since the increment of the tuitions at the University of Liberia they wrote the National Legislators and they were able to come to their aids of the student by substation.
The office of the Vice President Joseph Boakai also gave L$125,000 as his own contribution for the scholarship program launched by ULSU.
Edwin G. Genoway, Jr – [email protected]