Women Lecturers across Liberian universities have officially launched the Association of University Women Lecturers of Liberia (AUWOL-Liberia) in Monrovia.
Launched Friday, May 30, 2025, on the Capitol Hill campus of the University of Liberia (UL), AUWOL-Liberia aims to promote an increased female lecturers’ presence in the classrooms across colleges and universities in Liberia through mentorship, tutorial programs, and academic guidance.
The launching exercise was followed by a fundraising exercise in the Auditorium of the UL Capitol Hill campus.
The President of the University of Liberia Dr. Layli Maparyan declared the University of Liberia’s support to the Association, noting that more is needed to be done to rectify the imbalance of women’s presence in the classrooms and various departments within the University.
“You know, lately I’ve been meeting with the Department Chairs and Deans of the different colleges around the University of Liberia. And one of the questions I often ask or tune into is, how many women are in your department?” said Dr. Maparyan.
“Some of them say none. Some of them say one or two. Few, maybe more. And when you ask how many of those women have PhDs, the number is even smaller. What that says to me is we need to do more to rectify that imbalance,” Dr. Maparyan continued.
She suggested the need to make sure that the University’s curriculum reflects the contributions of women.
In support of the fundraising exercise, Dr. Maparyan announced US$500 on behalf of the University and another US$500 as a personal contribution for her and her family.
Delivering the keynote speech, Dr. Augurie Stevens said in leadership roles, female lecturers contribute to shaping educational policies and reforms.
She emphasized that female lecturers are needed in Liberia because they play a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s educational landscape.
“They will contribute significantly to academic development, gender equity, and societal transformation,” she added. She announced US$100 as support towards the fundraising exercise.
The Coordinator of the Association of University Women Lecturers of Liberia (AUWOL-Liberia), Mrs. Comfort Boog-Paye, said the Association’s primary goal is to have a lot of women in the classrooms, bragging about women’s integrity and professionalism on the job.
To achieve this goal, Mrs. Boog-Paye disclosed that AUWOL-Liberia is interested in mentoring young women in the teaching profession by organizing tutorial programs in areas a lot of young girls don’t want to be bothered, particularly the Sciences and Mathematics.
The Dean of Gender Studies at the University of Liberia Mrs. Luopu Garmai-Blackie said the purpose of the gathering was to officially launch AUWOL-Liberia, and to raise funds for the Association.
More pledges were announced by different speakers, including LD$50,000 by UL Vice President for Academic Affairs Dr. Agnes Reeves Taylor; University of Liberia Faculty Association (ULFA) President Dr. Edna Johnny’s personal contribution of LD$25,000 plus US$500 for ULFA; LD$100,000 by Dr. Wehye; and Dr. Charles Gborlie, LD$10,000, among others.
