MONROVIA – The Intellectual Militant Brigades (IMB), a student advocacy body at United Methodist University (UMU), has called on the university administration to immediately reverse its recently announced 25 percent tuition increase, arguing that the hike is unjustified amid what it describes as poor learning conditions on campus.
In what believed to be a peaceful demonstration, the student group condemned the administration’s unilateral decision to increase tuition and fees across all colleges, effective this semester. According to the IMB, students in the Science Colleges will now pay US$25 per credit hour, up from US$20, while students in other colleges will also face a 25 percent increase in tuition.
The group argued that the increase comes at a time when Liberia’s struggling economy continues to place significant financial pressure on families, making higher education less affordable.
The IMB is demanding that the university suspend the fee increase and prioritize addressing several longstanding concerns affecting students. These include unsanitary facilities in academic buildings, overheated classrooms with poor ventilation, inadequate classroom seating that forces some students to stand or sit on floors, shortages of laboratory materials for Chemistry and Biology practicals, and outdated Information Technology infrastructure, including computer laboratories and internet services.
“Students cannot be asked to pay more for less,” the group said also in a statement, insisting that the administration should first improve service delivery and campus facilities before implementing any increase in tuition.
The students’ advocacy group further called on the administration to meet with IMB leadership within seven days to present a clear plan for reducing tuition and improving campus conditions. It warned that while it remains committed to dialogue, it would not remain silent if students’ rights to quality and affordable education continue to be undermined.
Additionally, the IMB appealed to the Government of Liberia, through the Ministry of Education, to intervene by assessing the university’s situation and providing subsidies to help improve learning conditions and ease the financial burden on students.
