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The Vice Chancellor, Professor David Norris, has offered the government of Liberia two full PhD and two partial PhD scholarships as part of the University of Botswana’s efforts to help Liberia reconstruct its education system. The scholarships were announced during a dinner Liberia’s Senior Minister of Education, Professor D Ansu Sonni, hosted in honour of the University of Botswana delegation.

The delegation led by Professor Norris, is currently on official visit to Liberia seeking institutional collaborations and partnerships besides offering expertise to help the Liberian government in transforming the country’s education system. Post civil war that started in 1999 and ended in 2003, Liberia has been on a path of reconstruction of different sectors including its education system.

According to a UNESCO report titled Education and Fragility in Liberia, throughout its contemporary history, Liberia’s education system has been characterized by, among others, features of fragility and structural weaknesses, including the need for efficient administration, development of an educational revival as well as a stronger articulation between the training provided by the school system and the needs of the economy.

The civil war greatly compounded these problems such that when it ended in 2003, infrastructure, equipment, the management system, and teaching force were all in disarray, leading to near destruction and disruption of the education system. Compounding the situation further, was disruption of the educational management and support systems when many of the teachers fled, creating a legacy of shortage of qualified and trained teachers, according to UNESCO.

However, since the war ended, the Liberian government has on a path of reconstruction, introducing several policy initiatives within the framework of post-war reconstruction and reform with the aim of rebuilding the system while addressing the fragility that had characterized it.    

Consequently, it was against this background that when speaking at the dinner to honour him and his delegation to Liberia, Professor Norris stated that the scholarships were symbolic of the University of Botswana’s commitment towards reconstruction of Liberia’s education system.

Professor Norris’ gesture to the Liberian government also resonates with the spirit of giving through which the University of Botswana, which is turning 40 years this year, was built. The scholarships are, therefore, a kind gesture of returning favour to the Liberian people some of whom served as teachers in Botswana post independence. The scholarships UB awarded will be administered under the Liberian Ministry of Education.

Accepting the scholarships, Liberia’s Senior Minister of Education, Professor Sonni, said he was humbled by the University of Botswana’s gesture. He said in most cases, it was those in need that reached out but this time around, the case was conversely different.

Professor Sonni applauded the University of Botswana for reaching out to a fellow African country at a time of need but most particularly at a time when Liberia was undergoing reconstruction of its education system. The humility of the people of Botswana, of the UB delegation, he noted, was humbling.

 During the dinner, two Liberian UB Alumni shared their exciting student experiences while studying at UB. The alumni said the facilities at UB were of international standards. They highlighted that the reason most of them were holding high ranking positions in Liberia was because of the high quality of education they received from UB.