LOUISIANA — Students of the University of Liberia have alarmed over the absence of buses to transport them to Fendell campus. It is almost a month now since normal learning activities began on the campuses of the University of Liberia (UL) for the first time under the leadership of President Joseph Boakai. This comes following an appeal to the UL Faculty Association to return to the status quo.
Although normal classes have resumed, for students of the University of Liberia - Fendell campus, not everything is normal as getting to school is too costly for most of them.
One of them is Michael Doe, a junior student of the University of Liberia studying General Forestry. Doe says his transport fare (to and fro) has increased from L$200 to L$550 due to the absence of school buses. He is a self-supported student and is worried that the situation will lead to another protest if the government does not intervene, thus impeding progress in his learning activities.
"I can see a lot of disruption coming again because today our comrades were saying that this coming Wednesday there will be no classes due to this bus issue that has affected us, the students greatly, " said Michael Doe, a junior student studying General Agriculture. "Things are not easy with this transport business, so I am appealing to the government to resolve this issue."
"I come to school every day - from Monday to Friday. I pay L$700 for transportation per day, excluding my feeding or fees for pamphlets. I spend approximately L$6,000 to L$7,000.00 per week. If you multiply that per month and look at the current economic situation, it's actually very difficult to even get the money. We are really learning the hard way," said Janjay Guld, a Biological Science Student who is a resident of Barnesville Estate.
The absence of buses for students to commute to school UL-Fendell is putting most students in harm's way. At the end of the lesson each day, the students gather along the Monrovia- Kakata highway with tussling to get tricycles (kekeh) and motorbikes, the fastest way to beat the traffic and get to Red-Light. Those who cannot afford the transportation fare would sit on the carriers of mini buses for less transportation fare to get home.
"The safety issue is alarming, it is a highway and lots of cars are on excessive speed, " said Emmanuel Wilson, a senior student reading Public Health. Wilson said while the school buses play a critical role in easing the transportation burden on students, their absence poses a serious risk to hundreds of the students who often gather along the highway to await kekeh or motorbike to go home.
"Wilson said, "it is alarming when you have many students using such a means of transport, it creates a high risk and a possibility of an accident."
"It is not safe because this place is a highway, we use motorbikes, kekeh, and they ride recklessly. It's not safe for us students at all," added Enjem J Barber, another Public Health Student.
"I see that a lot of students will drop out [of school] because of the bus issues. Most of the students attending UL are not financially strong enough to be coming on campus all the time in commercial vehicles," Barber added.
The bus situation has drawn the attention of student movement on the UL campuses. Early Wednesday, several students of the Student Unification Party (SUP) headed by party's stalwart Eddie Yancy, were seen parading classes informing fellow students about a planned protest if the UL administration refuses to address the situation after the Easter celebration next week.
According to him, if the situation continues, most students will not be able to attend this semester.
"From now to Monday, if we cannot see a single bus on this campus we will launch an unspecified revolutionary action. Today was just a warning," Yancy said.
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When contacted, Norris Tweh, head of UL Relations, acknowledged the situation but appealed to the students to remain calm. Norris told FPA that next week, buses will be available to transport students to Fendel campus.
"Basically, it takes a number of buses that we hire to get on the road. So, we are hoping that by next week, we will be able to solve these bus problems," Tweh said. "People who run these buses have to regularize their registration and to also make sure that it is roadworthy. So, we are appealing to the students to allow us to ensure that those buses meet the requirement to be effective."
The University of Liberia- Fendell Campus holds a vast number of students studying at the university. The late introduction of buses will hinder the majority of the students, most of whom are unemployed from enrolling. The early introduction will be a great relief to most students who are on the verge of changing their college to attend classes on the Capitol Hill campus.
