SUP Demands Dr. Maparyan Resign

In a fiery resurgence of student activism not seen in years, the Revolutionary Student Unification Party (SUP) has launched a mass protest movement across all campuses of the University of Liberia (UL), and the Streets of Monrovia demanding immediate reforms and calling for the resignation or dismissal of University President Dr. Layli Maparyan.

With thousands of students chanting revolutionary slogans, holding placards, and locking arms in solidarity, SUP militants stormed the Capitol Hill and Fendall campuses Monday morning, declaring the beginning of indefinite action against what they describe as "administrative tyranny, corruption, and gross incompetence."

The student-led uprising follows weeks of tension between UL students and the university administration. Central to the students' outrage is what they allege to be Dr. Maparyan’s receipt of over US$15,000 monthly amid crippling financial conditions at Liberia’s oldest public institution of higher learning.

“This is a moral and administrative crisis, Dr. Maparyan cannot preside over a university where bathrooms don’t work, libraries are empty, labs are outdated, and students are treated like squatters while she enjoys an extravagant salary. Her leadership is a betrayal to the Liberian people,” said SUP Chairman Sylvester Wheeler, addressing a sea of protestors at the Capitol Hill campus.

SUP’s list of demands is both extensive and urgent, underscoring years of neglected infrastructure, academic mismanagement, and alleged human rights abuses on UL campuses.

Among the top demands are: immediate resignation or dismissal of Dr. Layli Maparyan, reversal of the vacation school decision, which students argue is an academic scam, resolution of grade discrepancies and portal update failures, provision of buses to alleviate transportation challenges to Fendall, immediate rehabilitation of classrooms, libraries, laboratories, and sanitation facilities

Others are independent investigation into alleged illegal dismissals of UL staff, full transparency in administrative decisions, reconstitution of the UL Board of Trustees to meet statutory standards, improved campus security and police reforms.

SUP’s declaration accuses the UL administration of governing with “arrogance and pomposity,” claiming the decision to reopen school without addressing student demands reflects “a complete disregard for student welfare and academic integrity.”

“How do you expect students to learn when they have no chairs, no working toilets, and no transportation to campus? We will not return to class under these inhumane conditions,” questioned SUP Secretary for Mobilization, Korto Saah.

The group also decried the administration’s alleged suppression of dissent and heavy-handed response to previous student complaints.

They vow to escalate the protests until “meaningful reforms and leadership changes are made.”

As of press time, the University of Liberia administration had not issued an official response to the unfolding protests. Efforts to contact the Office of the President were unsuccessful.

However, sources within UL confirm that several faculty members and staff have expressed concern over the growing unrest and are calling for dialogue.

Meanwhile, SUP maintains that “dialogue without action is meaningless and useless.” Protest organizers have promised daily demonstrations until their demands are met.

The protest movement has begun to draw support beyond the university gates, with civil society organizations, street vendors, market women, and commercial drivers joining in solidarity.

“UL is not just a school; it is a national symbol. If UL collapses, Liberia’s intellectual future collapses too,” said a protester.

The events unfolding at the University of Liberia may represent a turning point in the struggle for accountability in higher education and perhaps, a larger reckoning with public sector governance across Liberia.

As the week unfolds, all eyes are now on President Maparyan, whose silence, critics say, is only adding fuel to an already blazing fire.