Medical college students protest over 5 months’ stipend
Medical college students listed below are demanding 5 months’ stipend arrears from authorities, threatening to protest if their demand will not be met.
By Stephen G. Fellajuah
Monrovia, Liberia, December 18, 2024 – Over 450 medical college students from the University of Liberia (UL), together with the School of Pharmacy and the A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicines, are threatening to protest if authorities doesn’t handle 5 months of stipend arrears.
The authorities is accountable for offering a month-to-month stipend of US$200 to every pupil to assist subsidize their schooling at these public medical establishments. However, the scholars declare that no funds have been made for the final 5 months, resulting in extreme monetary pressure.
The scenario worsened after three months of unsuccessful negotiations, prompting the scholars to collect on the residence of President Joseph Nyuma Boakai within the Rehab neighborhood, Paynesville, on December 17, 2024, demanding motion.
Dennis Blay, President of the Liberia Medical Students Association and of the A.M. Dogliotti School of Medicine, explains that the stipend is significant for the scholars’ well-being, as their research are full-time, and the stipend covers their primary dwelling bills.
“We have followed up with the University of Liberia and the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning. As it stands, the Ministry of Finance has closed its books for the year”, Student Blay explains.
According to the Ministry of Finance, they now declare restricted funds regardless of preliminary discussions about processing the stipends. They have determined to pay just one month’s stipend, asking the scholars to waive the remaining 4 months. According to Blay, this choice has triggered widespread frustration among the many college students.
“The information we received from the budget office is that there is only one month, and we have to waive the remaining four months, which the students are unwilling to do. This stipend is for our upkeep, and we rely on it to make it through the month”, Blay insists.
The college students, unable to get redress by means of common channels, have now dedicated to ongoing protests on the President’s residence till the matter is resolved.
Hnoede L. Brownell, President of the Pharmacy Students Association, provides that as a result of full-time nature of their research, college students can’t tackle jobs. She notes that the stipend is crucial, particularly because the dormitory doesn’t accommodate all college students, and lots of face extra bills akin to leases.
“This is unfair. It is important that we receive the full five months because that is the only way we can meet our needs,” Brownell says, suggesting that they are going to proceed protesting if the federal government doesn’t handle their issues.
Meanwhile, frustration is rising amongst healthcare employees throughout the nation over insufficient pay. Specialized medical doctors have additionally voiced dissatisfaction with the federal government’s refusal to supply higher wages.
Additionally, the Assembly of Liberian Health Professionals, together with main associations just like the Liberia Nurses Association and the Liberia Medical and Dental Association, lately condemned the federal government’s choice to implement a US$50 wage top-up for well being employees, calling it a violation of the Health Sector Pay Grade and Salary Reclassification Policy. The group additionally threatened a nationwide strike until the federal government’s transfer is revisited. Editing by Jonathan Browne
