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Liberia: UL Graduates 2,500 Students As President Johnson Sirleaf Calls for 'Contributive
Investment' in Higher Ed
The Visitor to the University of Liberia, President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, says it is time for 'contributive investment' in higher education in Liberia. All stakeholders,
the President said, should now take responsibility to make strategic choices that develop national capacities and provide
equity and access to ensure timely and meaningful post-war reconstruction.
According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader spoke on April 29 at the 87th Commencement convocation of the University of Liberia, held at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on the outskirts of Monrovia.
Speaking of tertiary education in the country, the President said the system is one of the critical strategic objectives in Liberia's Poverty Reduction Strategy, now known as the 'Lift Liberia' initiative. Government's goal, the President said, is to improve the quality of tertiary education, while undertaking phased expansion and decentralization outside of Monrovia, including curriculum revision, national accreditation, the retention and recruitment of qualified faculty and administration, among others.
The President indicated that Liberia now needs trained women and men to develop through creativity, research, study, discovery and invention to use the country's comparative advantages, thereby positioning Liberia as a competitive global partner. "We need more entrepreneurs, managers, organizers, inventors, not only job seekers and employees," the Liberian leader reminded graduates.
The Liberian President also spoke of the need for a University that can work to attain the country's post-war development objective. The realization of such an objective, the President said, would require the collective efforts of all stakeholders, including the Government, the University and its constituents, especially the thousands of its alumni, including international partners, civil society, and students themselves.
President Johnson Sirleaf noted that in spite of the many competing priorities, tertiary education has been treated fairly, acknowledging, however, that much is still needed. The President said despite the decline in the world economy, Government will endeavor to provide investment in tertiary education in the next fiscal year.
Delivering the Commencement address, the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of India to Liberia, Shamma Jain, spoke of the global challenges confronting not only developed countries but developing
countries as well. The challenges, the Indian diplomat emphasized, require the collective effort of all countries.
Ambassador Jain recalled the similarities between her country and the continent of Africa, noting that Africa and India have traveled similar paths and share similar values. She also described Africa's and India's decolonization movements and development trajectories as similar, noting that South-South trade and investment are key in revitalizing developing economies. The 87th Commencement speaker encouraged graduates to strive for excellence, stressing the importance of capacity building, which she said has been a high priority for India. She also noted that India continues to provide support in meeting the capacity needs of Africa by offering scholarships for students to study in her country.
The Indian ambassador has, meanwhile, disclosed that her Government will provide three scholarships for Liberian students to undergo graduate studies in India beginning this academic year. Ambassador Sham also offered 10 local scholarships for undergraduate studies in Liberia in the fields of science and agriculture.
Relevant Links
Also speaking at Wednesday's Convocation was University of Liberia President, Dr. Emmet Dennis, who presented a review of activities at the institution covering 2007 - 2008. Dr. Dennis spoke of the institution's challenges and promised to lift the standard of the University.
The Visitor to the University of Liberia, President Ellen
Johnson Sirleaf, says it is time for 'contributive investment' in higher education in Liberia. All stakeholders,
the President said, should now take responsibility to make strategic choices that develop national capacities and provide
equity and access to ensure timely and meaningful post-war reconstruction.According to an Executive Mansion release, the Liberian leader spoke on April 29 at the 87th Commencement convocation of the University of Liberia, held at the Samuel Kanyon Doe Sports Complex on the outskirts of Monrovia.
Speaking of tertiary education in the country, the President said the system is one of the critical strategic objectives in Liberia's Poverty Reduction Strategy, now known as the 'Lift Liberia' initiative. Government's goal, the President said, is to improve the quality of tertiary education, while undertaking phased expansion and decentralization outside of Monrovia, including curriculum revision, national accreditation, the retention and recruitment of qualified faculty and administration, among others.
The President indicated that Liberia now needs trained women and men to develop through creativity, research, study, discovery and invention to use the country's comparative advantages, thereby positioning Liberia as a competitive global partner. "We need more entrepreneurs, managers, organizers, inventors, not only job seekers and employees," the Liberian leader reminded graduates.
The Liberian President also spoke of the need for a University that can work to attain the country's post-war development objective. The realization of such an objective, the President said, would require the collective efforts of all stakeholders, including the Government, the University and its constituents, especially the thousands of its alumni, including international partners, civil society, and students themselves.
President Johnson Sirleaf noted that in spite of the many competing priorities, tertiary education has been treated fairly, acknowledging, however, that much is still needed. The President said despite the decline in the world economy, Government will endeavor to provide investment in tertiary education in the next fiscal year.
Delivering the Commencement address, the Ambassador Extraordinary & Plenipotentiary of the
Republic of India to Liberia, Shamma Jain, spoke of the global challenges confronting not only developed countries but developing
countries as well. The challenges, the Indian diplomat emphasized, require the collective effort of all countries.Ambassador Jain recalled the similarities between her country and the continent of Africa, noting that Africa and India have traveled similar paths and share similar values. She also described Africa's and India's decolonization movements and development trajectories as similar, noting that South-South trade and investment are key in revitalizing developing economies. The 87th Commencement speaker encouraged graduates to strive for excellence, stressing the importance of capacity building, which she said has been a high priority for India. She also noted that India continues to provide support in meeting the capacity needs of Africa by offering scholarships for students to study in her country.
The Indian ambassador has, meanwhile, disclosed that her Government will provide three scholarships for Liberian students to undergo graduate studies in India beginning this academic year. Ambassador Sham also offered 10 local scholarships for undergraduate studies in Liberia in the fields of science and agriculture.
Relevant Links
Also speaking at Wednesday's Convocation was University of Liberia President, Dr. Emmet Dennis, who presented a review of activities at the institution covering 2007 - 2008. Dr. Dennis spoke of the institution's challenges and promised to lift the standard of the University.
The University awarded degrees to 2,500 students in various disciplines, including medicine, law, engineering, business administration, political science, sociology, education, mass communications, among others.
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