The Vice President for University Relations at the University of Liberia, Cllr. Noris Tweah rubbishes allegation of academic fraud at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law.
The law school had been accused of planning to graduate Student Alimatu Nuri Hutchinson, who faced problems with her grades.
Exiled Liberian activist Martin K. N. Kollie, posted on his social media page, warning that "If caution is not taken, the prestige or morale of the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law could fast sink. Student Alimatu Nuiri should not be graduating. She failed and bought grades from "D" TO "C". I will prove this in a letter to Dean Jallah Barbu. Sad."
There have been allegations that the Dean of the Law School, Cllr. Barbu changed her grade, but the allegation was defeated after the Dean was invited by the Faculty Senate and investigated.
The Faculty Senate established that Student Hutchinson scored 66% and it was verified by her professor, former Chief Justice Cllr. Francis Johnson-Allison, who took her paper for verification and admitted that she attended all of her classes and passed the course.
In a telephone interview with the NEW DAWN on Wednesday, May 31, 2023, Cllr. Tweah termed the allegation against the Law School as false and misleading. He maintains that the UL will graduate students who completed all of their processes and are satisfied by the school.
"All that information is rubbish; don't believe any information you hear. I just don't know which particular student you are talking about but we are commencing graduation on Friday and all those that are listed will be graduating. Unless something else comes up. If anybody has evidence against that person's name that you are calling, they can provide us the information but, for now, we know that all of our students have met the benchmark and they will be graduating", Cllr. Tweah defends.
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He says at the University of Liberia, they don't comment on students' names therefore, if anybody has evidence, they can provide it but, they have cleared every graduate of the law school and they will be graduating on Friday because they have collected their package.
"Last year, it was City Mayor Jefferson Koijee; this year is another person from the law school. Understand this, the University can still graduate you and if there is fraud and other academic problems, we can revoke your degree. We have to have the evidence and so, somebody can just bring accusation against you and we hold it. That has to be proven especially, the law school", he explains.
Responding to Activist Martin Kollie, The Vice President for University Relations argues that Kollie's information is not always correct because he was the same person that brought similar allegations against City Mayor Koijee and he was investigated and found not guilty.
"Any allegation that comes to us, we can investigate it with independent people. I can't not tell all but if anybody has evidence, let them bring it. We just can't stop the graduation. What I do know is that we are graduating students from the Law School on Friday and all of them have been satisfied as graduates after going through the same process that I went through" Cllr. Tweah concludes.
The University of Liberia is conducting its 103rd Graduation started here on Monday, May 29 with more than 1,700 candidates.
Editing by Jonathan Browne
