Published: August 12, 2026
MONROVIA -- Six bathrooms serve the four schools that train Liberia's doctors, pharmacists, public health workers and midwives, seven employees share one office at the School of Pharmacy, and students have paid out of pocket for the whiteboards, televisions and air conditioners in their classrooms, a joint investigation by The Liberian Investigator and Kool FM has found.
By Blamo N. Toe and Daniel Theophilus Cole
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Almost none of the money appropriated to fix those conditions has reached the ground. University of Liberia President Layli Maparyan said Monday the university has received about US$900,000 of the US$6.3 million appropriated for campus renovation, and that the balance sits in escrow until procurement is complete. She did not say how much of the released money is going to the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine in Congo Town or to the preclinical campus at Fendell.
The investigation documented deteriorating buildings, damaged ceilings, failing sanitation and poorly equipped laboratories at Dogliotti and at the Fendell campus in Louisiana Township. Reporters also visited the Capitol Hill campus.
Several students and faculty members spoke on condition of anonymity, citing fears of dismissal and expulsion, retaliation, or other forms of intimidation for publicly criticizing conditions at the state-run university.
"So many things are happening on that campus. But we hope that you guys can intervene and let the government or the university reason. But the campus is very deplorable. Very deplorable," a Dogliotti faculty member said.
At Dogliotti, students and faculty said as many as seven employees share a single office, some lecturers work in leaking and mold-infested spaces, and only six bathrooms serve the schools of Medicine, Pharmacy, Public Health and Midwifery.
The non-academic staff, maybe you want to refer to the secretary, the vice president, their campuses are similar to President Boakai's office. I mean, their offices. But when you enter the chairpersons' offices -- like the School of Pharmacy -- the School of Pharmacy has only one office with seven people sitting in that one office,
One lecturer said the office assigned to the lecturer and another faculty member leaks, has no window and contains mold, and that the desks provided resemble furniture designed for kindergarten students.
The office I share with another faculty member is leaking, and there is no window. Mold is growing on the wall, and it's just deplorable. The heat is also present. And the decks, I want to, you know, kindergarten decks, right? The kindergarten students' decks --very, very--I'm a big person, so imagine. I would have to bend my back. So I've never entered that office. I refuse to go in there," the faculty member said.
The lecturer said that inadequate office space has forced some faculty members to use conference rooms or other available spaces.
During visits to Dogliotti, TLI, and Kool FM observed faded and dilapidated buildings, damaged ceilings, rusty doors and roofing, poorly maintained bathrooms, and garbage accumulated in and around some facilities.
Conditions at the Prof. Joseph Njoh Laundry Hall were especially concerning. Grass was growing near its entrance, while rusty doors, discarded plastic bottles and bags, damaged plywood, and other debris were visible both inside and around the structure. Some windows had steel frames but no glass. Parts of the ceiling had deteriorated so badly that they exposed sections of the roof. Water stains were visible on the remaining ceiling panels, and damaged washing machines along with overflowing trash containers sat inside.
The dormitory, which houses both male and female students and includes a cafeteria, computer storage areas, and bathrooms, had damaged ceilings and walls, along with poorly maintained sanitation facilities. At the Academic Building, toilets were found unflushed amid apparent water shortages, and sections of the ceiling and roofing were damaged.
Students said the problems go beyond appearance, describing a failing sewer system, overflowing septic tanks and a water pumping system that sometimes floods rooms.
"If you went into the bathroom to pump water, all of the rooms there flooded, so there are reasons students are finding it uncomfortable to even be on the dome. They are finding it uncomfortable to be on the dome," a student said.
Access to the Dogliotti dormitory is generally limited to third- and fourth-year students, leaving first- and second-year students without university housing, students said.
"There are only 3 year and senior year students that can be on the dormitory. There is a challenge within the dormitory because those that are entering the school, first year and second year students, they have no placement," a student said.
Students and faculty said essential classroom equipment was bought and installed through student initiatives rather than by the administration.
"The structure that you see there and some of those good things that we have, including the white boards, the televisions, and the AC are all student initiatives; nothing of the administration," a student said.
A faculty member corroborated the account. "Even the sitting places that you see in the classrooms, the students put their own money together. Like the other -- in the other building, the students bought an air conditioner, and they put a TV there for themselves. For their own comfort, because the university is not doing it," the lecturer said.
Students said laboratories lack chemicals, apparatus and other equipment required for practical coursework, and some called for changes in the leadership of the School of Pharmacy, saying administrators have failed to develop programs or mobilize resources beyond the university's regular budget.
"We are absolutely challenged as medical students. Absolutely challenged. And the administration is doing nothing. Absolutely nothing. Even the leadership of the school of pharmacy, I don't know whether they are innovative. I don't think they are innovative because there is no program. No student exchange program, not at all," a student said.
One lecturer mentioned that, despite holding a doctorate, they earn less than US$1,400 a month, while some employees with master's degrees make more. They also questioned the management of an annual grant the lecturer cited as US$5 million and whether partnerships, including PREVAIL, have resulted in structural investments at Dogliotti.
At Fendell, reporters observed deteriorating infrastructure across parts of the campus, including faded and graffiti-covered walls, damaged ceilings, dusty and broken windows, and discarded materials and waste in academic facilities. Investigators noted standing water in some areas, vegetation growing on sections of buildings, and old planks, broken chairs, nails, and displaced zinc. Exposed electrical breakers and wiring were also visible, raising safety concerns.
Some bathrooms lacked running water, had broken plywood doors, accumulated waste, and inadequate sanitary supplies. In some cases, cut plastic gallon containers were used to carry water for flushing toilets. Moldy water tanks, stagnant water, and discarded bottles were observed around parts of the campus.
Those conditions contrast with Maparyan's public commitment to improving sanitation and infrastructure, including ensuring that university bathrooms are safe and functional. [Cite the date and forum of that commitment.]
In laboratories at Fendell, reporters observed dust, empty boxes, damaged ceilings, evidence of leaks and discarded materials. Old bottles, iron pipes and discarded commodes were in some areas. Air-conditioning units sat on floors and in cages rather than being installed.
Dr. Maparyan's disclosure of the US$900,000 came five days after the Executive Mansion said the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning had processed funding for the university and that President Joseph Boakai was dissatisfied with the lack of visible physical work.
"That money has been allocated, but only a small portion of it has actually been handed over at this point," Maparyan said on OK FM's "Morning Rush."
She attributed much of the delay to the Public Procurement and Concessions Commission's rollout this year of an electronic procurement system, which she said replaced an in-person process and required training for everyone using it. She said the system is better because it builds in safeguards, and that it has been slow going.
She said the university has selected a bidder for a 25-classroom building, its first major project, and intends to use part of the released money on what she called low-hanging fruit: leaking roofs at Capitol Hill and Dogliotti, bathroom repairs, water sources and classroom lighting. Part of the released funding is earmarked for the Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law, she said.
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Maparyan also disclosed a solar-powered project that would add 26 bathrooms and a student center at Fendell, an intervention directly touching one of the most serious problems documented in the investigation. She did not say when those facilities would become operational.
She said the Ministry of Public Works assisted the university in assessing every campus and building as part of developing a master plan. TLI and Kool FM requested the portions of that assessment covering Dogliotti and the preclinical campus at Fendell or, failing that, schedules detailing identified defects and estimated repair costs.
The news organizations submitted follow-up questions in an Aug. 10 letter to the administration through Norris L. Tweah, vice president for University Relations, seeking details on funding allocated to Dogliotti and Fendell, rehabilitation timelines, sanitation improvements, infrastructure assessments and the 25-classroom project.
Tweah did not answer the individual questions. He referred the reporters to Maparyan's appearances on OK FM and Lux Radio.
I refer you to these source documents, which can be found on our Facebook page, to help answer many of the questions raised in your request. Please listen to these shows -- from yesterday, starting with the one on OKAY FM and LUX Radio. You can find both on our Facebook,
He added, "Additionally, because the questions are bulky and require extensive research, I would advise a hard copy of the former letter, and due to the slow pace at the university, your response deadline of August 14 is unrealistic."
The university has also not provided a breakdown showing how much of the US$6.3 million will go to each campus and project, nor has it stated where the 25-classroom building will be sited, its contract value, the identity of the successful bidder, or when construction is expected to begin.
"So many things are happening on that campus," the Dogliotti faculty member said. "But we hope that you guys can intervene and let the government or the university reason. But the campus is very deplorable. Very deplorable."
