1,500 Degrees of Separation - Under-Tension University of Liberia Unleash Graduates

The A.M. Dogliotti College of Medicine and Pharmaceutical studies at the University of Liberia has for the first time in its 45 years history graduated up to 38 students.

The college graduated 38 candidates, 10 with degrees in medicine and 28 with degrees in pharmaceutical studies Wednesday during the 95th commencement convocation of the University.

The graduates were part of the over one thousand five hundred (1,500) who graduated from the walls of the University during program held at the Samuel K. Doe sports Stadium.

The increase in the number of graduates in medicine is a boost to the struggling health sector of the country which lacks qualified doctors to cater for Liberians in need of medical treatment.

Since the end of the country's civil war the issue of human resource development has been a major challenge to government not only in the Health sector of the country but other sectors with the health sector been the most affected.

The lack of trained and qualified medical personnel has created serious difficulties for Liberians in need of medical treatment leading to many privileged Liberians traveling out of the country while the under privileged die from curable sicknesses.

Serving as convocation orator, Madam Mary Brownell Liberia's former National Election Commission chair encouraged Liberians students to pursue careers in the sciences.

According to her, the call to Liberian students is in response to what she called the potential oil discovery in Liberia.

Brownell said: "Everyone wants to know their share in this new oil industry no-one has asked the question if Liberians are prepared, most often Liberians are seen working with these concessionaires and they are always second rated employees or laborers because Liberians students are always interested in the business colleges."

The Liberia former NEC chair said, if Liberian students are trained in the sciences they will work with concessionaries to ensure that Liberians reap the benefits of their oil resources.

She encouraged the University administration to engage in programs that will encourage students to pursue studies in the science courses by offering scholarship souring funding from the National Oil Company of Liberia and the County Development Fund.

"Liberia must not always be on the losing end, lets learn lesson from our past. Firestone came to Liberia before I was born and up to this time there is no rubber factory producing car tire in Liberia let's prepare our boys and girls to manage this oil business for tomorrow if you do not take my advise you will say in the long run when I am dead and gone old lady Brownell told us but we did not listened", she added.

Mother Brownell also expressed concern over the low number of Liberians wanting to study Agriculture in order to help their country be efficient in food production.

She described as a disgrace for Liberians to import basic agricultural commodities that can even be grown better on Liberian soil. She named Bitter Ball, pepper, peanuts, and palm oil as some of the commodities that are been imported from neighboring countries.

Value of indiscipline

Mother Brownell also disclosed that the lack of value of discipline is one of the major challenges facing Liberian students especially those in Universities.

She cautioned universities students in Liberia to exercise restraint and control their emotion whenever there are issues that need to be addressed as she said their action toward issues could negatively or positively harm individuals or the nation at large.

"When you have reached the status of being regarded as university products so much is expected of you, remember anything you do over and over becomes part of you because education is not limited to Academy but how we live with each other in our society, Mother Brownell said."

Mother says it is disappointing to see universities students and citizens protesting in the streets in the name of human rights and blame parents and guardians for not instituting proper discipline into their children.

The 95th commencement programs of the University of Liberia took barely weeks after the University was temporarily closed by the management as a result of protest staged by students in demand of the resignation of Dr. Wade Brownell Provost and vice president for Academy affairs.

Though the students demand has not been met the University was again open after two weeks of closure.

It was also observed that Dr. Brownell who should have turned over the graduates to the President was not at the commencement program and Dr. Walter Wiles Acting Provost stepping in her place.