KAKATA, Margibi – Amid public criticism and concern for the authenticity of Margibi Senator Jim Tornonlah’s multiple degrees, an investigation has shown that the institution where Tornonlah earned his Master’s degree was closed for not meeting the government’s standards.

According to documents from the National Commission on Higher Education, Vision International University and Bible College, which was an active university in the country in the early 2000s, was among 28 tertiary institutions that operated without a legal permit.

The institutions were also closed down for unqualified instructional staff, poor facilities and instructional materials, limited library holdings, poor curricula and mission statements and a lack of instructional and student services programs, among other things.

Recently, bitter arguments ensued among citizens of Margibi after Jimmy Sankatuah, a former president of the Federation of Liberian Youth, questioned the authenticity of Tornonlah’s two doctorate degrees.

Sankatuah, who is now the regional coordinator for Search for Common Ground’s Talking Drum Studio, made the comments when he appeared on Radio Margibi in Kakata.

He said Tornonlah’s degrees were questionable because he has not been able to clearly identify the institutions he earned the degrees from.

“The senator is yet to fully disclose the names of the institutions from which he earned his degrees,” Sankatuah said.

He discouraged citizens of Margibi from electing politicians to power based solely on self-proclaimed academic credentials.

James Mychenburg, a journalist in Kakata, said Sankatuah’s comments were met with strong reactions from the senator’s supporters.

In the past, Mark Nuah, the political officer in Tornonlah’s office, has said that the senator graduated from the African Methodist Episcopal Zion University in 2003 with a degree in theology. Nuah also said that Tornonlah graduated Magna Cum Laude.

Nuah added that Tornonlah earned a master’s degree in theology with an emphasis in Christian Counseling in 2006 from Vision International, an educational network.

Nuah told The Bush Chicken that the Margibi lawmaker also earned a doctorate in philosophy in 2012 from Vision International in the Ivory Coast. Another conferred on him by the African Chapter of Sapress University.

He also refuted claims that Tornonlah has not provided clear information surrounding his academic credentials. He said opponents used the argument as a campaign tool against Tornonlah during the 2014 senatorial election but said they were stifled when the Senator provided clarity about his credentials.

When questioned about new information about Vision International University and Bible College’s closure in Liberia, Nuah refused to address the issue.

Tornonlah was also evasive and said he had received the master’s degree from a Vision International University in the United States. He refused to provide any details about the source of his degree, although there is little evidence that the senator resided in the U.S. when he received the degree.

Jefferson Krua contributed to this article.