MONROVIA, Montserrado – Students of the University of Liberia have set up a roadblock on Capitol Hill to demand that the university pay the salaries of its instructors.

The students blocked the road adjacent to the main entrance of the university on Wednesday. They claimed their instructors have refused to administer final exams due to the failure of the university’s administration to pay them for the months of June and July.

On Thursday, July 19, the faculty issued a memorandum informing the students of their demands “that adjunct professors/instructors receive their salaries, allowances, and benefits as per the time stipulated in the contracts with the university.”

The faculty also demanded that any amount deducted from the salaries of employees be paid in full immediately and the university be exempted from the government’s payroll harmonization scheme.

According to the statement, the faculty had already articulated their demands to the university’s president, Ophelia Weeks, in a letter sent on July 18.

Given that no progress was being made, the faculty members said they would disengage from all academic activities beginning July 22 until their concerns could be addressed. The faculty body said none of its members would administer final exams.

In response, the university’s administration also released a statement on Sunday, July 21, appealing to members of the faculty “not to boycott the administering of final exams, as the [University of Liberia] administration is working out the necessary modalities and is confident that disbursement of salaries to employees will commence this Wednesday, July 24, 2019.”

The university also said it was holding discussions with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning to ensure that instructors’ salary for the month of July would be released by July 30th.

The failure of the university to live to its commitment amid the pending July 26 Independence Day celebrations apparently led to the instructors enforcing their threat.

Meanwhile, the university students continued their protest despite the presence of the Liberia National Police and calls for negotiation. One of those who tried to intervene was former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, who met the protesters and requested that they abandon their action and give way to negotiation. The students, however, ignored Sirleaf’s intervention and promised to continue their protest until the instructors’ demands are met.

“[The Student Unification Party] rallies conscious university students; shuts down Monrovia – Day 1, get ready to shoot and arrest all of us, but there will be no Independence Day celebration on July 26 if these demands are not met,” the students’ position read.

A student of the university who spoke to The Bush Chicken on conditions of anonymity for fear of being reprimanded said it was disgusting that the government was dishing out L$5,000 (US$25) each to scores of substance abusers, commonly referred to as ‘zogos,’ who harass citizens while at the same time refusing to pay professionals what is legally due to them.

“What sense does it make to pay zogos L$5,000 to support their criminal habits and refuse to pay university instructors their salaries?” the student said.

According to reports, President George Weah provided L$5,000 as Independence Day gifts to individual substance abusers in Central Monrovia on Tuesday.

Hours after waiting in vain, the disappointed zogos who did not receive any money took the streets and harassed petty traders and local cook shops. They were later chased away by officers of the Liberia National Police.

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