-SUP, Others Reject UL Fee Hike Plan, Threaten Resistance
By Jerromie S. Walters
MONROVIA — The Student Unification Party (SUP) at the University of Liberia has joined hundreds of students in rejecting the administration’s plan to increase fees, warning that any attempt to raise costs or cancel the free tuition policy will trigger resistance.
Former President George Weah established the tuition-free policy in 2018, guaranteeing undergraduate students pay only $15 or 3,000 Liberian dollars per semester.
The initiative enabled thousands of Liberians to enroll at public universities and eased financial pressures on families across the country. But University of Liberia President Dr. Layli Maparyan signaled a possible fee increase during her appearance on the “UL President Hour” on Lux FM 106.5. “Students are going to have to adjust to the fact that over time, the student fees are going to go up,” Maparyan said. “It’s because the things we need to buy for students cost more. Prices go up. Our generators cost more now. Our buses cost more now. Everything that uses fuel is going to cost more because of this war.”
Although unconfirmed by the administration, speculation has placed the proposed increase at 10,000 Liberian dollars per semester. Odecious Mulbah, Chairman of the Student Unification Party, told WomenVoices on Sunday that SUP rejects the proposal entirely. “The party opposes that,” Mulbah said. “We oppose any intent to increase fees or cancel the free tuition policy. It will be resisted by the students and the militants. Any attempt by Dr. Maparyan or the government to increase a single dollar to the registration fees—we already know the challenges the students have been facing.”
Mulbah argued that students already struggle to pay the current fees, and an increase would worsen their situation. He maintained that the planned increment lacks justification because the university still lacks basic infrastructure. Mulbah also dismissed Maparyan’s reference to the U.S.-Israel and Iran war’s impact on global oil prices as insufficient grounds for raising tuition.
STAND Condemns the proposed increase:
The Solidarity and Trust for a New Day, or STAND, also condemned the proposed increase. In a statement issued Sunday evening, the group said, “At a time when taxes are rising without mercy, transportation fares are skyrocketing, and the prices of food, basic commodities, and essential social services continue climbing daily, adding more pressure on poor students and suffering parents is wicked, heartless, and unacceptable.”
STAND called the proposed 10,000 Liberian dollar registration fee an economic war against struggling students and barely employed parents whose incomes have already collapsed under the unbearable cost of living. Both STAND and the Student Unification Party (SUP) have formally announced separate massive protests scheduled for July, 2026 — the country’s Independence month. The STAND officially launched the Save Liberia Protest Coalition on Thursday, declaring that decades of economic hardship, police brutality, and political neglect have pushed the Liberian people to a breaking point.
A separate group identifying as concerned students of the University of Liberia also denounced the decision. In a statement, they described the plan as “not just unfair; it is an insult to our intelligence and an act of pure insensitivity.” “To the Administration of the University of Liberia: We are writing this not just as students, but as the very lifeblood of this institution—an institution that is currently failing us,” the statement read. “The recent statement made by the President ‘Dr. Maproblem’ to increase student fees is not just unfair; it is an insult to our intelligence and an act of pure insensitivity.”
The students detailed years of neglect across UL campuses. “We sit in total darkness because there is no reliable electricity. We stand during lectures because there are not enough chairs in the classrooms. Our science labs are empty shells lacking the basic equipment needed for practical learning. We cannot even access a decent, sanitary bathroom on campus without risking our health. We have no internet access in a modern world driven by technology. Our students are left stranded because there are no operational buses to transport us. And above all, there is no functional system. From registration to getting grades, everything is a chaotic, broken mess.”
GAC Performance Audit:
An audit by the General Auditing Commission has documented major challenges in the free tuition policy’s implementation. The Performance Audit Report, covering July 1, 2018, to Dec. 31, 2025, found that while the policy increased enrollment at public tertiary institutions, the government and the National Commission on Higher Education failed to develop a written framework to guide implementation. Administrators told auditors that institutions received no clear operational guidelines following the presidential announcement.
The audit also revealed that students continue to pay additional fees that, in some cases, exceed the tuition costs the government removed. Fees charged across institutions remain inconsistent, with some universities and colleges charging between $2.60 and $5 per credit hour. The surge in enrollment has placed significant pressure on already limited infrastructure. Many campuses require renovations, laboratories and libraries lack essential materials, and classrooms remain overcrowded, with some instructors teaching between 71 and 100 students in spaces designed for 45.
The government spent approximately $7.4 million between 2018 and 2023 on tuition payments, compensation and institutional support under the policy. However, auditors concluded that the amount disbursed does not correspond with the number of students and credit hours registered across public institutions nationwide.
Last year’s hint:
During an interview on the ELBC Super Morning Show early last year, Dr. Maparyan discussed the ongoing evaluation of the free tuition policy and highlighted the need to assess its effectiveness and impact on university operations. She revealed that the free tuition initiative was undergoing a performance audit, after which she and the Board of Trustees would make informed decisions regarding the policy’s future, including possible adjustments.
Former President Weah declared the University of Liberia and all public universities tuition-free for undergraduate students in 2018, announcing the decision before hundreds of cheering students at UL’s Capitol Hill Campus in Monrovia. The declaration, which aimed to position Liberia as an example for other African nations, came as a surprise following a fee-hike protest by students who had recently met with the president to discuss rising tuition costs.
At that time, students were paying $4 per credit hour the previous semester, but the amount had increased to 600 Liberian dollars per credit hour. Students led by Flomo Mao Maiwo argued that the decision did not serve their interests and raised concerns about a contravention of university policy regarding fee increases. Weah summoned university leadership days later and subsequently announced his visit to the school. School authorities explained that the increase was not a fee hike but an exchange rate issue, as they billed students in U.S. dollars.
The university recorded low enrollment that semester, with only about 11,000 registered students out of approximately 20,000 due to the fee hike. Weah’s declaration occurred in the absence of then-University of Liberia President Dr. Ophelia Weeks, who was reportedly in Kenya for an education summit.
On Thursday, November 30, 2023, the plenary of the Liberian Senate erupted in chaos over a proposed free tuition policy bill. The bill aimed to provide free education for all Liberian students at public universities and colleges, as well as cover WASSCE fees for both 12th and 9th graders nationwide. Senators in favor of the bill included Gble-bo Brown, Nyumene Bartekwa, Simeo Taylor, Joseph Jallah, and Augustine Chea. Those calling for further scrutiny included Senators Jonathan Boy Charles Singbe, Abraham Darius Dillon, Botoe Kanneh, James Biney, Edwin Snowe, Conmany Wesseh, and Emmanuel Nuquay.
The plenary of the House of Representatives had passed a bill in 2021 seeking to create a special educational scheme titled “A Special Education Fund to Support and Sustain the Tuition-Free Scheme for the University of Liberia and All Public Universities and Colleges, and the Free WASSCE Fees for 12th and 9th Graders Across the Country.” Montserrado County District 5 Representative Thomas Fallah submitted the proposed bill to the House after Weah declared tuition-free undergraduate education for all public universities.
