CAPACITY BUILDING NEEDS OF LIBERIA By Leroy W. Cegbe Chairman, Department of Agriculture Extension Education, William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry (WRTCAF)University of Liberia March 24, 2015

HIGHER EDUCATION IN LIBERIA The Government of Liberia is fully responsible for capacity building which has been done is being through public and private initiatives. Manpower development to development for the delivery of specific services has been through higher education both nationally and internationally.

Brief history of the development of higher education in Liberia Higher education started with the creation of the Liberia College in 1862; Liberia College became the oldest degree granting institution in West Africa; The college was upgraded and became the University of Liberia in 1951 by an Act of the Liberian Legislature.

History cont… The Liberia College and later the University of Liberia supplied higher education for Africans for whom such education was unavailable in the colonies; The Tubman University in Harper founded in 1978 and named after Liberia’s 19th President, William V. S. Tubman is the second Public Institution of Higher Learning; The Cuttington University is the oldest private institution of Higher Learning; There are two other universities, several colleges and institutes catering to higher education in Liberia.

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS Detail discussions will focus only on the University of Liberia being the pillar of higher education in Liberia and carries the highest support from the GoL; The University of Liberia has five undergraduate colleges, four graduate schools, three professional schools, four institutes and one technical college; Undergraduate Colleges: Liberia college ( College of Social Sciences and Humanities), William V. S. Tubman Teachers College, College of Business and Public Administration, William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry (WRTCAF), College of General Studies and the Thomas J. R. Faulkner College of Science and Technology;

ACADEMIC PROGRAMS… Graduate Schools: Educational Administration and Supervision, Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida Graduate School of International Relations and Regional Sciences. Professional Schools: Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, School of Pharmacy and A. M. Dogliotti School of Medicine Institutes: Institute for Population Studies, Institute for Research, Kofi Annan Center for Conflict Transformation and Confucius Institute; Technical College: Straz-Sinje Vocational and Technical College

Support to the University of Liberia (UL) and other institutions of higher learning The GoL support to public and private institutions is in the form of subsidies, being only compulsory for the public institutions; Detail discussion will focus on GoL support to the UL ; The UL is supported through government subsidy, tuition, fees and donations with the government making the highest contribution; Tuitions and fees charged per student are very minimal(about US$2.50 per credit for under graduate courses and a flat rate of US$55.00 for graduate and professional courses) Government support has declined over the years in relation to the increase in student population as indicated in the below table:

CHRONOLOGY OF GOVERNMENT OF LIBERIA SUBSIDY TO UL FISCAL YEAR SUBSIDY(USD MILLION)ENROLLMENT # OF STUDENTS-THOUSAND * * US$14.2 allocated, received only 11.75

CAMPUSES OF THE UNIVERSITY OF LIBERIA There are four campuses housing the various schools and colleges: Capitol Hill Campus-houses the College of Business and Public Administration, the graduate schools, the institutes and the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law; Fendell Campus – houses the William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry, T. J. R. Faulkner College of Science and Technology, Liberia College, William V. S. Tubman Teachers College and College of General Studies; Medical College campus – Houses the A. M. Dogliotti Medical college and the School of Pharmacy; Sinje Campus – houses the Straz-Sinje Vocational and Technical College.

SITUATION ANALYSIS A)Students: Population is increasing exponentially. Many young men and women are eager to obtain tertiary education; Annually, twenty to twenty-five thousand candidates sit the UL Entrance and Placement Examination.

SITUATION ANALYSIS B)Infrastructures: The fourteen years Civil Crisis in Liberia destroyed almost all the infrastructures of the University of Liberia. Science Laboratories, Science equipment, Practical fields, Libraries, offices, classrooms etc were either looted or completely destroyed. There is limitation of space to accommodate the influx of students. No facilities to conduct research in the natural and applied sciences. The William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry campus was completely destroyed and has not been rehabilitated.

SITUATION ANALYSIS….. C Lecturers: There are few faculty members with terminal degrees. For example, the William R. Tolbert Jr. College of Agriculture and Forestry (WRTCAF) has only four lecturers that hold terminal degrees. Many of the Lecturers have aged or are aging. For example, the only agricultural engineer at the WRTCAF has served the college for about 50. There are too many part time lecturers at the University of Liberia. There are no lecturers trained in Agricultural Trade Negotiations(National or International).

SITUATION ANALYSIS…. D) Academic Programs: Degrees are not granted in many specialized areas in most of the undergraduate colleges. Graduate programs are not established in all of the programs, especially the Applied and Natural Sciences. There is no course or program that deals with Agricultural Trade Negotiations (National or International)

CONCLUSION The manpower needs of Liberia is very high in all sectors of the nation. Tertiary institutions are not well equipped to produce the requisite manpower for the nation. The University of Liberia needs a lot of assistance in the areas of infrastructures, manpower development and budgetary support.

SPECIAL APPEAL This appeals goes to the United Nations, the European Union and all the nations of the world. The educational sector of Liberia needs a lot of help. We will appreciate whatever help you can render for capacity building, infrastructure development and etc.

THANKS FOR LISTENING