By Jerromie S. Walters
Monrovia: Montserrado County District #1 Representative Rugie Yatu Barry has formally appealed to the House of Representatives for a substantial increase in the University of Liberia’s annual budget, urging lawmakers to raise funding from $33 million to $45 million. In a detailed communication addressed to House Speaker Richard Nagbe Koon, Rep. Barry highlighted the severe infrastructural and operational challenges crippling Liberia’s premier higher education institution, which serves over 22,000 students.
“I present my sincere compliments and write to respectfully request the kind indulgence of this Honorable Body to consider increasing the annual budgetary allotment of the University of Liberia from Thirty-Three Million United States Dollars (US$33,000,000) to Forty-Five Million United States Dollars (US$45,000,000),” the communication read during the House’s Tuesday, July 1, 2025, session stated.
The lawmaker, whose district includes the UL’s Fendell Campus, emphasized that the university’s deteriorating conditions threaten both academic standards and student safety. Many buildings across its campuses are in deplorable condition, with crumbling infrastructure posing significant hazards. Classrooms remain overcrowded and poorly equipped, lacking basic necessities such as adequate furniture, a reliable water supply, and functional sanitary facilities. Additionally, outdated laboratory equipment and insufficient library materials further hinder the quality of education.
A pressing concern raised in the appeal is the chronic shortage of safe transportation for students, particularly those at the Fendell Campus. With limited university buses available, many students are forced to rely on overcrowded trucks and tricycles (Kekehs), creating dangerous commuting conditions and frequent disruptions to the academic calendar.
Her words: “The University of Liberia continues to face serious operational and infrastructural challenges, including: 1. Deteriorating Infrastructure: Many buildings across the various campuses are in deplorable conditions, threatening both student safety and academic performance. 2. Lack of Basic Utilities and Equipment: Classrooms are overcrowded and ill-equipped, with a significant shortage of chairs, water supply, sanitary facilities, and outdated laboratory and library materials.”
She continued, “3. Deficiency in Modern Learning Materials: The University struggles to provide sufficient contemporary instructional content, textbooks, and technological resources necessary for competitive learning. 4. Lack of Safe Student Transportation: The chronic shortage of buses forces students, especially at Fendell, to scramble for unsafe alternatives such as overloaded trucks and tricycles (Kekehs), creating severe safety risks and disrupting the academic calendar.”
Rep. Barry underscored that these challenges not only undermine Liberia’s national development goals but also violate the country’s constitutional and international obligations to provide accessible and quality education. She cited Article 6 of Liberia’s 1986 Constitution, which mandates equal educational opportunities, as well as key international agreements such as the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, and the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4), all of which emphasize the right to education.
Following her submission, the House Plenary referred the matter to the committees on Education and Ways, Means, and Finance for further review. Rep. Barry has been instructed to present her case before these committees to justify the proposed budget increase.
The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), Article 13, which obliges State Parties to recognize the right of everyone to education and to ensure that higher education is made equally accessible to all, particularly by the progressive introduction of free education.
The African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Article 17, which recognizes the right to education and obligates states to take appropriate measures to promote and protect this right. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), particularly Articles 28 and 29, which obligate states to make higher education accessible and to ensure the development of the child’s fullest potential.
Agenda 2063 of the African Union, emphasizes investing in education and skills revolution as the cornerstone of Africa’s transformation. Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG-4) under the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, calls for inclusive, equitable, and quality education and the promotion of lifelong learning opportunities for all.
Liberia, as a signatory to these regional and international frameworks, has a legal and moral duty to ensure that its premier university is not left to deteriorate or underperform due to budgetary insufficiencies.
The University of Liberia (UL or LU in older versions of the abbreviation) is a publicly funded institution of higher learning located in Monrovia, Liberia. Authorized by the national government in 1851, the university opened in 1862 as Liberia College. Last month, the National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) named UL among over thirty institutions in Liberia that have challenges.
The University of Liberia is ranked as the top university in Liberia according to the Webometrics Ranking Web of Universities. In terms of global rankings, it is positioned at #9665 in the Ranking Web of Universities. EduRank ranks it #199 in Africa and #5448 in the world. AD Scientific Index ranks it #10721 in the world among all types of institutions and #493 in Africa based on H index (Total). On the other hand, UNIRANKS® lists the University of Liberia as #9564 globally and #1 in Liberia.
UL has four campuses: the Capitol Hill Campus in Monrovia, the Fendall campus in Louisiana, outside Monrovia, the Medical School Campus in Congo Town, and the Straz-Sinje Campus in Sinje Grand Cape Mount County. The university enrolls approximately 18,000 students and is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in West Africa. It is accredited by the Liberian Commission on Higher Education.
The university’s mission is to prepare well-qualified men and women for teaching, research, public, and private service, and to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals for sustainable human development. Its values dwell on Excellence, Autonomy, Truth and Knowledge, Discipline, Credibility, Transparency, and Accountability.
