MONROVIA, Montserrado – Following the announced waiver of tuition at all undergraduate public institutions across the country by President George Weah, the state-owned University of Liberia says students of the institution will not be exempted from paying other fees.

Norris Tweah, the vice president for public relations at the university, spoke on ELBC Radio on Thursday, October 25 where he said students of the university would not be exempted from paying fees that account for services such as sports, science laboratory, library, insurance, student handbook, registration, and reconstruction.

Tweah said the fees are less than US$20.

Timothy A. Joe, a student majoring in education at the university, expressed surprise that students would still have to pay for other fees.

Like many other students, Joe had assumed that President George Weah had announced that all tuition and fees would be covered.

“I am not aware of paying any other fees,” Joe said, adding that the university should provide better information to avoid confusion. The university’s website includes a statement clarifying that students “will no longer have to pay tuition at the University of Liberia” and that “ only fees those enrolled would now pay.”

Joe warned that if the president’s statement was not actualized during his tenure as president, there would be student protests.

The president did not detail what the full financial impact of the announcement would have on the operations of Liberia’s ten public institutions of higher learning, including the University of Liberia and Tubman University.

Additionally, he did not detail precisely where the funds would originate. The 2018/2019 fiscal year budget was passed several months ago, and some financial maneuvering will be needed to ensure that the president meets his promise.

Featured photo by Zeze Ballah