Sierra Leone: -Our Fourah Bay College hostels in TOTAL shambles, derelict and in a precarious state. (PHOTOS). What’s going On?
By: A. Sesay (Zaki)
Our Fourah Bay College-Is this for REAL?
Oh How the MIGHTY have fallen.
Oh my Alma mater is in TOTAL shambles, derelict and in a precarious state.
What is this.?
Oh How the MIGHTY have fallen.
Oh my Alma mater is in TOTAL shambles, derelict and in a precarious state.
What is this.?
Student life is an important and dynamic component of an active university experience. During my days, the college offers us to participate in many student organizations, clubs and recreational activities to help us engage in campus life, and to become active members of the college community.
Each student is encouraged to grow both academically and personally.
Your college experience is about much more than just classrooms and information. The life you live outside of the classroom can be just as important when it comes to your ability to learn and grow.
There are activities for students with all types of different interests and backgrounds. If a student can’t find what they are looking for,they can even start a club or organization around.
These Social and cultural activities outside of class give students, opportunities to meet new people, gain leadership-skills, and receive a well-rounded education.
These Social and cultural activities outside of class give students, opportunities to meet new people, gain leadership-skills, and receive a well-rounded education.
In these hostels, you are surrounded by people of the same age group around and thus you get ‘friends for life’.-We make lot of friends in our lives, but school & college friends have special place in our lives. They know us better than our parents. Some of my best friends to date are friends I met in college.
For how long is this menace going to continue? Don’t we have any pride in EDUCATION any more? What is really going on?
Our College, envied around the world, and now lie in RUINS? Really?
Our College, envied around the world, and now lie in RUINS? Really?
If Economics Teaches Us Anything, It Is That Education Leads to Prosperity. The countries in the world that have become prosperous fall into two categories. -One of them is EDUCATION.-Educating their citizenry into prosperity.
Nearly all of the countries that have long been the wealthiest in the world reached, or have maintained that status by having universal pre-college education, along with a strong commitment to higher education.
Even the most resource-poor countries of Northern and Western Europe have enjoyed much higher living standards than many resource-rich countries in Africa including my country Sierra Leone, that do not devote themselves to educating their young people.
Even the most resource-poor countries of Northern and Western Europe have enjoyed much higher living standards than many resource-rich countries in Africa including my country Sierra Leone, that do not devote themselves to educating their young people.
Countries that want to become great have learned that economic dominance is predicated upon the creation of a system of high-quality education.-
An Educated Population Is Essential to a Nation’s Prosperity.
An Educated Population Is Essential to a Nation’s Prosperity.
Why Sierra Leone, WHY?
(PHOTOS): -Watch the dilapidated state our Institution is in RIGHT NOW.
Fourah Bay College-dilapidated hostels
Fourah Bay College-dilapidated hostels
Fourah Bay College-dilapidated hostels
Fourah Bay College-dilapidated hostels
Fourah Bay College-dilapidated hostels
10 comments:
Ann Wells: Wednesday 07/10/2015 @ 23:18
na oona get gov'ment so try dae bra
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Ann. Everitin fur bi gov'ment?😂.
Ann Wells:
As far as I know, there are reports that the current Salone government secured some funding to upgrade the university's campus. Question is: What has happened to that money?
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Mi nor no bot dat. Aks di Uni boss dem😈
Ann Wells:
Stop your dishonesty Israel. Ask both of them, you may just find that the government (your APC government) has more of a say over what is happening at the university than the university authorities.
Pierre Dumbuya:
What is government doing about it?
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Ann. The government may well have, but what are the other Organs of the University doing about anything? Where are the pressure groups;the students' Union, the lecturers, the alumni association etc. Everything cannot be done by government alone Pierre and you are better placed to know that ( being an APC member yourself and one who works hard in Charity associations to support your TWO schools' development).
This must be a collaborative effort lead by the thousands of FBC Alumnae members in high and low jobs all over the world.
Not just "Government! Government"!
Pierre Dumbuya:
I agree with you Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr. However one would expect the Ministry of Education to have a supervisory role in such matters to make sure standards are maintained and sustained. At the end of the day it gives a bad impression on us as a country. I was looking at some pictures of Senegal the other day showing free accommodation provided to teachers. I am sure the government made such provisions and not the schools themselves
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Pierre, in considering all these refrangible side shows of infrastructural maintenance around the country, we must not take our eyes off the ball and consider in parallel, the unexpected 'bad luck' of deflective interruptions the country/ government have been faced with in the last several years. Let's point out telescope to all practical angles of refraction and content ourselves with 'satisfysing' prioritised choices.
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Jimmy Kandeh:
I was told external funding has been secured to rehabilitate the campus and refurbish the hostels but will not be surprised if funds are siphoned off by those in charge.
Reply: Israel Ojekeh Snr
Mr Kandeh, why do some of us Sierra Leoneans never look to the positive side of things?
Why speculate and imagine negative bad results? It is really a shame!
Why don't you find out more, verify the validity of what you were told and let the public know. That will be a very practical approach
From: Alfred Zack-Williams abzw1427@gmail.com
Many thanks.This is a disgrace worthynot of the poor students, but those who run the university who treat our youth worse that dogs.
Just imagine what the inside would look at. I can tell you this is a major contrast to Universities in Ghana, the West Indies, Malaysia and many other 'Third World' (a redundant term, I know).
I recall in 2006, leading a workshop at this same FBC, when we entered the Kennedy Building, built by the US government as an Independence gift to our country, a Nigerian colleague whose brother attended FBC in the 1950s was appalled by the mess he saw: several broken windows, no electricity, no electric bulbs in the entire building, broken chairs and and tables and a mucky and dusty building. The guy turned to the Dean and he said: 'This is a disgrace and total disrespect to the students. You could at least call your porters to sweep the building and dust the tables and windows'. The Dean was surprised that he was being chastised at all, for in Sierra Leone, the pathological is normal'.
Whilst talking about the university: Couple of years ago I was invited to act as External Examiner to the Public Administration Degrees BA & MSc. What I heard and encountered shocked me and depressed me. There is no university calendar, students complained that they do not have a fixed date for examinations; and of course a very Victorian and archaic curriculum, with a nondescript degree called BA General, when every other university in the world enter their students for Honours Degree. For the nondescript graduates of University of Sierra Leone, they cannot enter any other university in the world to do postgraduate work for only Sierra Leone has this bizarre qualification.
On the quality level. I remember reading a Masters paper set by one of the lecturers. The first question had at least five mistakes, an indication that there is no vetting and serious quality assurance process. I drew these weaknesses to the attention of the then Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Deputy Register in a long and well structure Report (apparently it is not compulsory for External Examiners to University of Sierra Leone to send Report to the authorities, a major fault line again in the quality assurance process. I sent my report and I never got an acknowledgement from either the Deputy Vice-Chancellor or the Deputy Register. The most interesting thing is that the following year I was not invited as External Examiner. Normally, External Examiners serve for three years to ensure that their recommendations are implemented; but not in Sierra Leone where to offer constructive criticism is a 'capital offence'. Now you can see why the dormitory in question looks like a pigsty. Who cares? This is why a premier institution of learning has gone to the dogs.
Lonta!
Tunde
I think Tunde just proved my point and I don't need any lecture from Mr Parper on what to expect from our so-called leadership back home. Lonta!
Mr Kandeh, Dr Tunde Zack Williams has not proved your claim of the funding you said you have had about. Please re-read his post and try and understand what he is saying- clear failure of responsible leadership by the University bosses. You can still information the public of your claim which you have no proof of, that's the objection I have to your post Mr Kandeh. Validity and verification of facts must buttress such wild claims. Lunta!
Jimmy Kandeh
It starts with political bosses not FBC bosses. I was a student there and taught there as Fulbright scholar in 09/10 so I know what I am talking about and need no lectures from you. Tunde is a friend and colleague and we share essentially the same views on leadership in our country. So hold your horses. This is not the first time funds have been allocated for FBC with hardly anything to show. I just returned from Freetown where officials told me about funding for FBC. Verify what? That funds have been allocated? What difference does that make to claim that funds will be siphoned off? Be it funding for roads, schools, Ebola or anything the prevalent culture is to "chap, chap n chap some more."
Jimmy Kandeh
What exactly do you need verification for: that funds have be secured (good news) or that funds will be siphoned and converted to personal use (same old bad news)? If the former, I was not in Freetown to do research on FBC and there is nothing wrong repeating what I was told about funding for FBC. If the latter, suffice it to say you can bury your head In the sand and pretend that our leaders are not pillaging our patrimony.
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Mr Kandeh, you are the kind of people who should lead the campaign in improving the lives of the students and the infrastructure based on your connections with the university. Wild assumptions will not do. Den sey, na rumour and rumours may well be incorrect. You seem to dwell on hear say with no proof. You just made yourself clear on that point.
Gbanie P Solomon:
I don't think Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr has visited FBC for so long. USL is not fit for 21st century scholarship. This is a University that lacks structure for serious academic work. I was not at all surprise when USL was not on the list of the top 30 African Universities. If Prof ZacK Williams was surprise when the VC&P and Registrar could not even acknowledge his recommendation, I am not surprise. There is no research ethics committee. This is University that lacks resources for basic research let alone applied scholarship. The Library is all but name. When you look at the publications being used to promote some of the academics to senior academic position you wonder what the VC&P is up to. Vanity Press Publication is not use in any serious institution for promotion. USL need serious rework.
Jimmy Kandeh:
I have had enough of your spurious reasoning because I don't know what you are calling wild assumptions. I am not assuming that our leaders are looters (most Sierra Leoneans know that) or that funds were reportedly secured for FBC. My expectation that such funds will be converted to personal use is grounded in prevalent practices or patterns and regularities. Patterns, uniformities and regularities constitute the bases of generalizations in my discipline and I have published scholarly articles and given public lectures on politics and society in our country. So once again there is nothing you can tell me about the falsifiability of knowledge claims, verification methods etc. I say no more as this site is supposed to be non-partisan and apolitical and I intend to keep it that way
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
There you go again Mr Kandeh. You have clearly demonstrated that you dwell and deal in 'generalities'. Because 'it has been' happening, 'so it is' or 'so it will be'. This has nothing to do with politics. So please do not drag that in. Let's just end it here and let the public make their judgements and hope/ wish for improved developments for Fourah Bay College✈️
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr:
Mr Gbanie P. Solomon. First of all, the reason I re-published this article is to give greater publicity to the dilapidated state and conditions at FBC so that something could be done to improve these disgraceful conditions. As a long time Lecturer myself, I will not feel comfortable if I were to be instructing my students in such a state. There is no defence of the situations here and when you read my class mate and personal fried's input (DrTunde Zack Williams), the University authorities have a lot to answers for. My 'argument' with Mr Jimmy Kandeh, is his categorical unverified claim based on hear say and his automatic assumption that what he had been told will be 'siphoned' off.... Because 'it has been so' inter alia, so ' it will be' post tempo.
Let us all hope that some good may result out of all this and not complicate or lose sight of the reality of the situation by being personal or political.
Jimmy Kandeh:
I have nothing else to say Sir as it is quite obvious you have no idea about hypothesis testing or how generalizations are formulated based on empirical evidence. Science describes, explains and predicts and prediction is always probabilistic and based on what has happened in the past. The past, they say, is prologue to the future even for scientists. There is a pattern of bad governance in our country and this has caused donors to circumvent the government in doling out aid. So my expectation that funds will be siphoned off is no different from the position of some donors including DFID. And yes even DFID relies on past/current practices of our leaders to determine what to do with British taxpayers money (re. Ebola).
Jimmy Kandeh:
I was not given an office when I taught at FBC in 09/10 nor was I assigned a classroom to teach. Most of my classes were held at Adjai Crowther Amphitheater. There is lack of leadership not only at the college but in the country as a whole. They want to build an Ernest Koroma university when we cannot even maintain decent facilities at FBC.
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr:
Mr Kandeh, I am very well grounded in these disciplines and I teach them at different levels-🔦so please do not go down the trumpet blowing road. I do not Bost, but let me point out to you on this occasion that my Bachelors Degree from City University London is Systems and Management Science with speciality in Methodology and Research (Soft Systems) with electives in International Relations , Policy Studies and Politics of International Economics. Also, as one of the first crop is Sierra Leone's qualified Chartered Bankers with a long term experience, I am very versed in financing and funding pros and cons and the pitfalls and irregularities around them both in Freetown and in the City of London having worked in both Financial Cities . My Post Graduate Studies, enhanced my experiences in education funding provisions and management. But all of this is not important here so, please do not go there. Let's focus on the issue at stake and look forward for a better future beneficial to the College and students; that is the main reason why I re-posted this article. With your background and relationship with the FBC, you are in the position to assist in driving the bang wagon. I HOPE SO!🎬
Jimmy Kandeh
Kudos to you Sir and I have no reason to doubt your credentials but you are not in the Social Sciences and for us patterns and regularities, based on empirical evidence, are pointers to the future and the bases for informed generalizations and predictions. I am sure you don't want a child molester living next to you simply because you have no reason to believe he is going to continue molesting children based on past behavior. History will not exist as a discipline if the past had no bearing on the present and future. So your inclination to give our leaders a pass is not shared by me or the average Sierra Leonean - we are where we are today because we have never had good leadership and our political class (APC/SLPP) is the primary producer of human misery in our country. Once again I have no reason to doubt my source (who happens to be a top government official) that funding has been secured (they have just recently paved Berry Street, leading to the FBC campus) but like many I have my doubts as to how the funds will be disbursed and who ultimately are the beneficiaries.
Gbanie P Solomom
Check who the contract was awarded. Family and friends.
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
Mr Jimmy Kandeh, there are many unbelieving Thomas and there will ever be. My further background is in Law, Accounting and Economics. My past experiences are not simply theoretical but very practical as well and I do not simply dwell in pessimism. Please let us end this here and as I said earlier, I hope you will help drive the bandwagon for some positive benefit and development at FBC. Case Closed!!!!!!!!✈️🎬✈️🎬✈️🎬.
Jimmy Kandeh
Nobody is mired in pessimism and to be realistic about conditions back home is nothing but prudent. I know the problems I ran into just trying to set up TFSL and I wish there was reason for me to have confidence in our current leadership because, like many of my compatriots, I fervently want to see my country forge ahead. FBC, like the entire country, needs progressive leadership and that is where our problems begin
Israel Ojekeh Parper Snr
OK Mr Kandeh. You have the last word. Let's hope for the best����
It's so sad that fourah bay college that was known to be the Athens of West Africa is in the State. Don't forget the College is the Hub of civilisation to West African countries. In regards of the external fund, yes it's true that millions of US dollars was secured from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA) and Saudi Fund. ( https://www.thesierraleonetelegraph.com/?p=4467 ). I can tell and confirm to you that this funds was confirmed in early 2014 and an inauguration was kicked off. But it's unfortunate to say that after a year, nothing is being done. The first problem was the President to appoint his brother Inlaw to manage from London to manage the project which the University authority kicked against but was later subdued. Now the rest are History. The secont problem is the University authority itself for having proffessor who can stand to their word and integrity in telling the president the truth and resign. The Third are the Alumnus who abandoned their college and refused to speak for the helpless current student who risk to be expelled if theyprotest for their right. However, we should note that, no change will occur in that university without the sack of all the present administrative staff of that university as nothing good works in that place. If a good project is introduced to that college, the so called VC, registrar and DVC will frustrate it and there are lot of politics going on there, especially tribal politics. This is a little I know.
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