Most developing nations, including Liberia, believe that education makes a substantial contribution to a country's growth and development. Yet the aspirations and consequent demands for education in these countries, including Liberia, are growing out of all proportion to the ability and capacity of the government to meet these demands. The primary purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which the University of Liberia was able to contribute to national development and manpower needs during the twenty-year period from roughly 1960 to 1980, and to examine constraints affecting its ability to do so.
The methodology involved two major steps: First, reviewing relevant literature on the role of educational development in Liberia and Africa in general, focusing on higher education, and information contained in the National Development Plans of Liberia; and secondly, interviewing informally a selected small number of Liberian experts and scholars regarding policy-formulation in Liberia since 1960. Interviewees included former and current cabinet officials, especially those from the Ministries of Education and Planning, and Economic Affairs, as well as former and current Presidents and Liberian scholars and experts on the Faculty of the University of Liberia. A structured Interview Guide was used for this purpose. Data were analyzed by comparing the National Development Plans 1967-1970, 1972-1982, 1976-1980, and 1981-1985, with responses from the Interview Guide and data on the enrollments and graduates of the University of Liberia.
It was concluded that while the University of Liberia made substantial contributions to national development by providing trained manpower, the institution did not produce sufficient numbers of trained high-level manpower to satisfy national development needs. Further, the University's failure to supply adequate qualified personnel for national development was due primarily to the limited financial resources of the University and lack of clear, set priorities.
Recommendations. (1) There is a need for increasing production of high-level manpower which should be planned in accordance with a comprehensive manpower needs analysis. This implies the establishment of a procedure for regular data collection and analysis by the University of Liberia and government. (2) There is a need for both the University and the government to utilize this improved data base and to develop a supervisory or monitoring system to assess more precisely the manpower situation within the country. (3) The Liberian government should increase funding to the University of Liberia since inadequate financial resources were found to be a major factor, limiting the University's performance in generating manpower.
