Monrovia Mayor Decries High Graduation  Fees

Monrovia City Mayor, Jefferson Koijee says high graduation fees being charged by the state-run University undermines the Tuition-Free policy of the Coalition for Democratic Change (CDC) government.

Speaking in his capacity as Secretary General of the ruling party, Koijee said that the rationale behind the Tuition-Free policy is to enable Liberians many of whom are downtrodden to rise from poverty by giving them privileges to gain higher education.

He said the Tuition Free policy introduced by President George Weah, affecting all public universities across the country, is to relieve parents from the extra costs that come with a college education, and it’s a critical step towards increasing the country’s human capital development indices.

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He said this policy is being undermined by the high graduation fees being charged by university authorities.

Koijee said that asking people to pay graduation fees after lifting tuition burden off their shoulders undermines the true intent of the pro-poor educational policy that seeks to enable every Liberian to acquire tertiary education.

He further said that the tuition free policy is being taken to a sterner level through the introduction of a bill by two CDC lawmakers, Representative Frank Saah Foko and Representative Thomas P. Fallah, which is now before the Liberian Senate for concurrence as a way of making sure that even after the regime of President Weah, Liberians do not go back to the dark of educational opportunities being available to the privileged few who have access to state resources and their families.

He lauded Minister Sonii for taking steps in that regard while President Weah is on his way back from Nigeria where he has gone to attend the inauguration of the new President of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

Mayor Koijee maintained that paying graduation fees seems to be unique to Liberia because during his recent visit to the University of Oxford, he asked about similar situation and he was informed that was not happening.

He added that it is unthinkable that a country that is struggling to pull through the mud of economic destitution would endeavor to overburden its citizens with such a fee.