Amid go-slow
By Lincoln G. Peters
The president of the University of Liberia (UL) Rev. Prof. Dr. Julius Julukon Sarwolo Nelson says the Government of Liberia is reviewing demands made by the UL Faculty, which include salary disparity and salary increment, among others.
Speaking on OK FM Monday morning, 20 September 2021, Dr. Nelson said the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance has sent delegates to his office and they are expected to meet in an emergency meeting on Wednesday, 22 September.
He said the emergency meeting was intended to look at the salary disparity to see how best there can be an equitable salary structure which could lead to salary increment.
The planned emergency meeting is necessitated by the announcement of UL Faculty’s go-slow following a general assembly held last week which led to UL students’ protest on Monday, 20 September.
During the radio talk show, Dr. Nelson called on every student to be calm as the issues are being discussed, saying before the end of this week, there will be a comprehensive resolution that sees students back in school to end the semester.
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Dr. Nelson explained that upon his ascendancy as president of the university, he researched and got to know that 212 persons were affected by salary disparity, something he said he promised to settle in January and made two months payment as a means of telling them sorry.
He confirmed that after the faculty came out with a resolution at a meeting on Friday, 18 September 2021, the Government of Liberia through the Ministry of Finance also agreed to refurbish the entire university and provide a better and conducive learning environment with better sanitation.
“We are also having conversations with the Government of Liberia concerning the construction of a new university city to be built in the country, but equally so, we can’t abandon our already existing structures even though they are not up to standards,” Dr. Nelson said.
“The government has decided to renovate the entire building until we can have money to build our modernized new university city,” Dr. Nelson further disclosed.
He explained that his only problem with the aggrieved faculty is due to their unwillingness to sit with the Administration of UL and the Government of Liberia to make their cases so that the problem can be resolved.
Dr. Nelson said the Faculty has refused many times to sit with the government to find solutions to their problems, adding that they want him to enter a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the faculty without the involvement of the Government of Liberia that supports the university, something he said he can never do.
Commenting on the medical insurance and social security of staff and faculty, Dr. Nelson noted that they are reviewing the medical insurance which expired in July of this year.
He noted that they have talked to the insurance company to provide services for the next six months until the faculty in consultation with the administration can agree to extend the contract.
On the social security issues, Dr. Nelson indicated that they are also having conversations with the National Social Security and Welfare Corporation (NASSCORP) because since 2012, the University of Liberia, like other government institutions across the country, has been facing problems with salary.
“We had those discussions and I asked them if learning and teaching can be going on while we find solutions to those listed counts, but they promised to come back on Wednesday after their meeting and I’m awaiting them because I just can’t make decisions alone,” said Dr. Nelson.https://thenewdawnliberia.com/ul-releases-second-entrance-results/
