Monrovia – With less than a fortnight to graduation, the leadership of the Student Unification Party (SUP) has called on the authority of the University of Liberia (UL) to reduce the graduation fees to a reasonable amount.
In a release issued over the weekend, SUP described the decision to charge US$280 as graduation fees per student was a pre-designed scheme to prevent hundreds of prospective graduates from participating in the impending exercises.
“The ferocious action by the administration in cohort with the senior class leadership to viciously and unreasonably increase graduation fee to US$280 (LD$28, 000) per graduate is only meant to satisfy the insatiable thirst of a handful of self-seeking characters whose ultimate interest is to amass illicit wealth at the expense of economically-challenged students,” the student group said.
SUP also noted that there was no need to increase the graduation fees since there would be no baccalaureate service; and called on the prospective graduates ‘not to pay a dime’ until the fees was reduced.
“With less than 10 days to graduation,” the statement said, “it is unacceptable, disgusting, irrational and disingenuous to exorbitantly charge each graduate US$280 (LD$28,000).
The party is calling on all prospective graduates to not pay a dime for graduation until reduction can be made to a reasonable amount,” SUP warned.
The student group further noted that it was disappointing that students on the four campuses of UL lack access to internet facility and logistics such as arm chairs and desks; as they stand in long queues for registration, grade sheets collection and all other processes on the campus.
“It is important to also reiterate that the University of Liberia is not a profit-making entity as perceived by elements of the fifth column,” the release said.
“Up to date thousands of students at Fendall Campus are still faced with transportation crisis, ill-equipped science laboratories and archaic libraries,” SUP noted.
The release further averred that the lack of student loan, financial aid, scholarship, internship, research center, career center, sanitary latrines and other basic facilities continue to hinder academic growth and excellence at UL.
It also called on the government and its partners to rescue the University of Liberia from its “dying state.”
It added that the over US$15 million annual budget of the UL should not only be used to pay what it described as the whopping salaries, allowances, medical bills and travel expenses of Dr. Emmet Dennis, Dr. Ophelia I. Weeks, and others; rather it should be used in the interest of the students.
“The general welfare and development of students must be a priority during budgetary planning and programming.
Dr. Weeks and Dr. Dennis cannot continue to have access to 24/7 internet service,” SUP added, “while over 20,000 students lack access to internet connectivity and computer literacy. Like we did in 1970, we will break these barriers very soon through whatever means possible.”
Meanwhile, the Vanguard Student Unification Party has assured the over 4,000 students that have been shortlisted to benefit from the University of Liberia Student Union’s (ULSU) scholarship and financial aid scheme that they will enroll this semester.
“We want to inform all students who have been captured by and enrolled into ULSU scholarship and financial aid scheme to not panic as SUP is doing everything possible to ensure they complete their registration process as soon as possible,”
The SUP’s statement came amid the delay in the registration process this semester, something which is causing confusion among students on campus.
Report by Gerald C. Koinyeneh -0880881540/[email protected]