The President of the University of Liberia (UL) Dr. Layli Maparyan, has announced an overhaul of UL systems, couple with the reopening scheduled for Tuesday, August 25.
Dr. Maparyan said, a wide-ranging package of institutional reforms, and confirmed August 25, 2026, as the non‑negotiable date for the reopening of all UL campuses, ending weeks of work stoppage by faculty, and staff.
In a detailed presidential statement issued on Monday, August 10, Dr. Maparyan acknowledged decades of systemic challenges.
She described the conditions as “less than ideal, indeed, deplorable at times.”
She said, the ongoing labor action reflects “decades of accumulated grievances,” adding: “I hear you; I see you, and UL Administration hears you and sees you.”
Government Clears NASSCORP Arrears
In a related development, Dr. Maparyan has disclosed how government has agreed to fully settle UL’s outstanding NASSCORP social security payments.
The latest followed consensus reached between UL, NASSCORP, and the Ministry of Finance.
Dr. Maparyan: “This move will allow NASSCORP to immediately enroll eligible retirees, and provide full legal pensions. This will ensure a dignified, and just retirement for UL faculty, and staff.”
Salary Disparities to Be Addressed in FY2027
Dr. Maparyan confirmed how UL has validated salary disparity data submitted by ULSA, and updated it with new findings.
The administration will include corrected salary scales in the FY2027 national budget, and complete a role‑documentation exercise by August 31 to prevent future inequities.
“The UL Administration is committed to a transparent reconciliation process to ensure equal pay for equal work.”
New Buses, New HR Manual, and Major Infrastructure Upgrades
Dr. Maparyan meanwhile, announced that new 62‑seater buses for students, faculty, and staff have already been ordered from India through the National Transportation Authority. The negotiation for the expected buses followed a gift President Joseph Nyuma Boakai initiated.
By that, UL will conduct a transportation demand survey in September to finalize routes.
Dr. Marpayan also confirmed that the Board of Trustees has endorsed a new HR Manual, effective August 1, with internal, and external reviews scheduled to ensure compliance with best practices, and the law.
For that a monthly HR workshops will run through December.
On infrastructure, UL will begin a US$6.3 million modernization program, including a new 25‑classroom building at Fendall, and major upgrades at Capitol Hill, Dogliotti, and Straz‑Sinje campuses.
Mandatory Reopening on August 25
Despite ongoing reforms, Dr. Maparyan stressed the need for the Board of Trustees to issue a clear directive: “UL must reopen on August 25, and all faculty, and staff must return to work.” Dr. Marpayan framed the reopening as a “moral obligation to students.”
She noted: “Every day our gates remain closed, a young Liberian’s future is put on hold.”
She added that returning to work is not a surrender, but a commitment to the youth: “They have done nothing wrong, yet they bear the heaviest cost of our internal disputes.”
A Call for Discipline and a New UL Culture
Dr. Maparyan said, UL is entering a new era of accountability, discipline, and professionalism, rejecting the long‑standing culture where “anything goes.”
She invoked religious, and secular ethical principles to underscore the need for order, and mutual accountability.
“A university without order cannot fulfil its societal calling to enlighten minds.”
A Turning Point for the Flagship University
Dr. Marpayan described the reforms as a national imperative.
She argued that UL must model the discipline, and integrity required to lift Liberia out of fragility.
“We cannot give to Liberia what we do not manifest ourselves.”
She meanwhile, called on ULFA, ULSA, and all employees to end the work stoppage, “not in defeat, but in a shared victory.”
