President George Manneh Weah on Thursday declared that all undergraduates entering universities across the country will enjoy free tuition.
Sources say he made the declaration before students of the University of Liberia at the Capitol Hill campus located in the Capital, Monrovia. The announcement was met by cheers and applause from the public and students.
“Today, I’m excited to announce that I have declared the University of Liberia and all other Public Universities in Liberia tuition free for all undergraduates,” Weah wrote on Facebook Wednesday.
An undergraduate is a university student who has not yet received a degree.
The West African country currently has four public universities. Aside the main University of Liberia, UL, the Booker Washington Institute, Louis Arthur Grimes School of Law and the William V.S. Tubman University, are among.
Students had recently protested against fee hikes accusing the University of Liberia administration of unilaterally increasing fees. The students eventually had the audience of the president who promised to look into the issue, and he did it.
It was at the same meeting that Weah announced that he will visit the school, a promise he kept and during which he disclosed the news.
Most African countries are grappling with implementing free education even at the basic level.
Ghana started an ambitious free Senior High School system which continues to be faced with challenges. Sierra Leone is also in the process of implementing free primary education.
The former world footballer of the year won the presidency early this year after leading a coalition to defeat the then ruling party’s candidate, Joseph Boakai.
Reports indicate that the University of Liberia took in about half of the expected 20,000 students for the 2018/2019 semester with the main reason pegged on the fee hikes.
