By Newman Anthony Levey in Bo
The Chancellor of Njala University, Professor Sahr Moses Ngevao has said that the administration is working hard to ensure that the University has a medical school to train doctors and other medical professionals in the country by the 2023/2024 academic year.
He, therefore, urged other stakeholders to come on board for the plan to materialize, and called for the active engagement of the Alumni Association of the University for such a Transformation.
Speaking at the inauguration of the Vice Chancellor and Principal and two Deputy Vice chancellors by the University Court at Njala Campus on Thursday 29th September 2022 following their appointments to their respective positions, the chancellor said that the depoliticization of universities by President Julius Maada Bio was a welcome one and that it is important to improve the standard of Njala university’s roads and electricity.
He encouraged all to work with the new Principal and hoped he will do what is right for the betterment of the university.
Speaking on behalf of colleague Paramount Chiefs, Prince Lappia Boima of Kakua Chiefdom, Bo District commended the excellence Njala university among its peers both in Sierra Leone and in Africa, saying that the institution is ranked 20 in Africa according to his last research. He therefore, urged the administration to continue to produce excellent students.
Dr. Brima Gegbe, President of the Academic Staff Association (ASA), Njala university, said it is the first in the history of the institution to have the principal and his two DVC'S inaugurated on the same day.
He appealed to the new principal to work with ASA while assuring him and his administration that ASA is ready to work with them to succeed.
Speaking at the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Tertiary and Higher Education, Sarjoh Aziz Kamara said President Bio's government believes in human capital development.
“We are here today for Professor Bashiru Koroma as principal. He has worked for it and he deserves it. He has gone through the ranks and had stayed longer at Njala", he said.
The deputy minister noted that the government has brought education to the doorstep of Sierra Leoneans by transforming and upgrading Polytechnics to technical universities.
He admonished the university’s administration to be critical of the quality of staff, saying that academic integrity is something that the staff should take very seriously.
The deputy minister urged the university’s Alumni Association to copy what Babatude Edwards did for Fourah Bay Colleg in putting up a building costing millions of dollars equipped with ICT facilities, as his own support to the college.
He acknowledged the efforts of the staff in impacting knowledge into the students while assuring that the concerns raised by various speakers will be forwarded to the Minister, Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie.
In his statement, the incoming Vice-Chancellor and Principal of Njala university, Professor Mohamed Bashiru Koroma thanked the current management of the university. He said he has accepted the position at a time the country is moving on the right path in academia. He said he will put the university first in all his plans and will collaborate with other institutions and organisations to bring development to the university.
He encouraged the academic staff and management to work with him for him to fulfill his aspirations for the university.
The College of Medicine and Allied Health Science, a constituent college of the University of Sierra Leone is currently the only school that produces medical doctors and other experts in the country.
However, Njala has a school of community health sciences that offers training for community health workers, nurses, public health experts, on environmental health sciences and clinical studies.
The ceremony was witnessed by principals and other senior administrative staff of other Universities and higher learning institutions, and traditional authorities across the country
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (03/10/22)
