Monrovia, Liberia – The standoff between the University of Liberia Faculty and Staff Association (ULFASA) and the University of Liberia Board of Trustees has intensified, with faculty and staff rejecting a directive to return to work despite President Joseph Nyuma Boakai’s intervention aimed at resolving the dispute.
The latest confrontation came after the University administration and Board of Trustees directed all faculty and staff to report to work on Monday, August 17, at 8:00 a.m., ordering the resumption of administrative operations and preparations for the reopening of academic activities.
In a memorandum dated August 14 and signed by University President Dr. Layli Maparyan and the Chair of the Board of Trustees, Senator Numene T. H. Bartekwa, the administration said attendance was mandatory and warned that unauthorized absence and non-compliance would be addressed in accordance with institutional policy.
The memorandum instructed all faculty and staff to resume their professional responsibilities, with academic departments expected to prepare for the resumption of classes on Tuesday.
But ULFASA has flatly rejected the directive, ordering its members to remain at home and directing task forces across the university’s campuses to ensure that offices remain closed.
In a strongly worded statement, the association described the Board’s directive as unacceptable and accused the university leadership of disregarding the welfare of faculty and staff as well as the University of Liberia Charter and By-Laws.
ULFASA said it would not recognize the return-to-work order and urged faculty and staff to remain disengaged from academic and administrative activities until what it described as the resolutions of its General Assembly are fully implemented.
The association also declared Dr. Maparyan, Senator Bartekwa and the Associate Vice President for Human Resources “persona non grata” on University of Liberia campuses, describing the officials as a threat to the institution’s existence.
The escalating dispute comes despite President Boakai’s intervention following a meeting with representatives of the University of Liberia Faculty Association and University of Liberia Staff Association.
Boakai acknowledged concerns raised by the two associations and pledged to work with the university community and relevant government institutions to address the issues.
The President also directed the immediate commencement of renovation and rehabilitation works across the university’s campuses, signaling an attempt to respond to longstanding concerns about the condition of university facilities.
In addition, Boakai announced the establishment of a special committee to investigate the university’s financial management and other concerns raised by the faculty and staff associations. Representatives of the associations are expected to participate in the process.
Despite those commitments, ULFASA has maintained that government intervention has not gone far enough to satisfy the demands approved by its General Assembly.
The competing positions now present the University of Liberia with a potentially serious institutional crisis. While the Board of Trustees and administration are insisting on the enforcement of the university’s academic calendar and the return of employees to their duties, ULFASA is calling for continued disengagement and has instructed members not to report to work.
The dispute also raises questions about the balance between administrative authority, the rights of university employees and the institutional governance provisions of the University of Liberia.
The Board’s memorandum emphasizes continuity of academic and administrative operations, while ULFASA argues that compliance with the directive would undermine its members’ demands and the resolutions adopted by their General Assembly.
With Monday’s return-to-work deadline approaching, the university faces the prospect of closed offices and continued disruption if faculty and staff follow ULFASA’s directive instead of the Board’s order.
President Boakai’s intervention has therefore not yet resolved the central dispute. Instead, the competing directives have placed the University community at a critical crossroads, with the immediate challenge now being whether dialogue can prevail before the standoff further disrupts academic and administrative activities at Liberia’s oldest institution of higher learning.
