Monrovia — The Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA), through its Secretary General Cllr. Bornor M. Varmah, has expressed serious concern over allegations of the alteration of grades at the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law (LAGSL) at the University of Liberia to pave the way for the graduation of few students who have failed some courses, with a vow to advance recommendations without fear or favor to safeguard the image and reputation of the institution.
It can be recalled that two Associate Professors at the University recently resigned their posts on allegations that students who failed their courses were considered by authorities of the university to participate in the just held 103rd convocation and graduation exercises. The Professors who resigned are Lucia D. Sonii-Gbala, and the former Chief Justice and Chairman of the National Elections Commission (NEC) Counselor Frances Johnson-Allison.
Two of the graduates, including Alimatu Nuri Hutchinson and Ebenezer Wilson were accused of allegedly offering bribe to a staffer of one of the Professors to alter their failing grades. However, the accused have denied the allegation.
In the latest resignation which went viral on the social media, Cllr. Lucia D. Sonii-Gbala pointed out that her resignation was triggered due to the recent change of the final grades of her assigned Applied Legal Studies II Course and the "arbitrary clearance of students who failed" the course for graduation, and "the fact that a request for investigation still remains unaddressed by the University of Liberia."
"I sincerely thank the immediate past Dean and the LAGSL for affording me the opportunity to instruct and serve as the youngest Assistant Professor of Law at the LAGSL from 2021 to 2023. The experience has been meaningful in the truest of sense. Notwithstanding, we must disengage at this time when the system shows little or no interest in ensuring academic excellence and upholding integrity."
Earlier on, Counselor Frances Johnson Allison accused both Hutchinson and Wilson of conniving with her secretary, Allen Toe, to change their "D" grades to "C," to guarantee their graduation.
"I am disappointed to hear that the University Faculty Senate has decided to graduate the students in question despite my testimony to them on a conference call. Based on this fact, I have decided to reinstate my resignation from the Law School since it seems that the university is more interested in graduating students than pursuing academic excellence and integrity," Cllr. Allison stated.
But the Liberia National Bar Association, which comprises of lawyers, judges, and law students have expressed grave concern over the allegations and have launched a probe to ascertain the facts surrounding the matter.
Speaking via telephone on the OK Morning Rush Show on OK FM 99.5 in Monrovia on Tuesday, Counselor Varmah disclosed that the constitution of the LNBA automatically declares students and graduates of law as associate members and as such, the Bar takes keen interest in assessing the matter.
He disclosed that already, the LNBA has spoken with all parties involved, including the accused graduates, UL administration, the Dean of the Law School, and the resigned Professors.
"We as a Bar are much concerned about the episodes emanating from the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law. The Law School remains the proud of the legal profession in Liberia and in consistent with the constitution of the LNBA, students of the law School are considered as associate members of the Bar. So, we are concerned about everything that has evolved over the period at the Law School."
Counselor Varmah observed that the latest issue confronting the LAGSL has become very difficult that the Chief Justice of Liberia has also expressed concern over the matter.
"I don't want to say we have conducted a thorough investigation, but we have done an assessment of the entire issue at the Law School; making interventions at the level of the Dean, the UL Administration, the office of the Chief Justice or Professors who names had been in the public."
He disclosed that the LNBA will give a definite position on the matter in the soonest possible time.
Counselor Varmah said the Bar, through its President Counselor Sylvester D. Rennie and the National Executive Council, discussed the issue very thoroughly at its just ended session to come up with a report on the saga.
According to him, the Bar's understanding and position on the matter will help provide a determination to safeguard the integrity and reputation of the LAGSL.
Counselor Varmah, however, urged members of the Bar and the public to remain calm as the Bar remains an "evidence-based institution" that will release its report on the matter very soon.
"All is not lost, the profession is an evidence based profession; I heard you saying that Professors are resigning, but they needed to wait for us to see what we do. I think we have done well by talking to all the parties and it is now time for us to release our position and see what we can do to resolve this issue."
He further assured that "strong and serious recommendations" will be made to the administration of the university to preserve the integrity of the LAGSL at the government-owned University of Liberia.
The LNBA was established on February 4, 1907 by an act of the National Legislature. It is an independent, ethical, and improved judiciary and legal education system in which access to justice are effectively managed, and benefiting all Liberians.
The group's mission is to promote access to justice, legal professional ethics, effective justice, and enhance fraternal bond among LNBA members and between the association and Bars of foreign countries.
What's UL administration saying?
The Administration of the University of Liberia (UL), headed by Dr. Julius Nelson has denied receiving an official complaint from the two former Professors on the matter.
The administration maintained that though it did not receive any formal complaint, an investigation was launched into the matter prior to the graduation of the accused students.
"On the issue of Prof. Johnson-Allison, we looked at the pros and cons, and in the wisdom of the school and the university, we gave the benefit of the doubt to the students, and we went ahead to graduate those students, and we stand by their graduation," Dr. Nelson stated at a news conference held in Monrovia.
He continued: "Facebook is not the place where you do university business. You have to understand this, and Cllr. Johnson understands the rules of engagement at the law school and the university. If there is a formal complaint from the professor, she will have to write to the appropriate committee. Until that is done, we don't know that she has a complaint."
Academic excellence questioned
The latest alleged altering of grade saga at the LAGSL has questioned the academic excellence of the students involved and other who have ppreviously graduated from the university.
However, others believed that the administration of the university cannot be held liable for the change of the two students' final grades since in fact; Counselor Allison has already admitted that the alteration was "criminally and fraudulently" carried out by her office staff Allen Toe.
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They believed that to some extent, Counselor Allison can also be held liable for not thoroughly perusing her final grades, before it were submitted by her office staff to the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the office of the Dean for final printing on the portal by the EDP Department.
As for Counselor Gbala, she failed to name a particular student who failed her course and was allowed to graduate in the latest convocation and graduation exercise of the university in her resignation submitted.
Her failure to name and shame those involved has also raised eyebrows and concerns over how the grades were altered and who did the alteration.
Meanwhile, the latest academic fraud saga that has rocked the most prestigious Law school across the African continent has the propensity of questioning the academic excellence of previous and future graduates from the institution.
If punitive measures are not taken against those involved when it is established that grades were altered to pave the way for the graduation of few students to the detriment and integrity of the university, the LAGSL will be a manufacturer of "half-baked and unqualified" lawyers who will continue to masquerade the corridors of Liberia, opening quasi law firms, duping their clients and losing cases without any remorse.
Legal luminaries and others are now looking up to the Liberia National Bar Association (LNBA) to provide a legal direction and proffer stringent recommendations to safeguard the image and reputation of the LASGL.
