By Mabinty M. Kamara
Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone, says it has imposed disciplinary actions against 194 students who were allegedly involved in some riotous conducts on campus.
On the 23rd and 24th of September this year, some students of FBC protested against the college administration after they were chased out of examination hall for nonpayment of fess.
The protest, according to the college officials in a press statement, resulted in the destruction of college properties and injury of other students and invigilators. The college said an investigation was launched by the disciplinary committee of the university.
“They then unlawfully disrupted the Second Semester Examination process by pelting stones at invigilators and at other law abiding students, injuring some of them. One of the injured was a pregnant student who had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. They also vandalized college properties,” the statement from the college reads.
The statement went on to note that after thorough investigations of the issue by the college’s disciplinary committee, in accordance with the University Act of 2005 and other related rules, 194 students were found culpable and are being penalized in diverse ways, ranging from cash fines, expulsion and rustication, depending on the severity of their crime.
“From the findings, three (3) categories of students were identified: (A) bearing maximum responsibility for the incident (B) bearing significant responsibility for the incident; (C) in contempt of the discipline committee,” the statement notes.
According to the statement, 10 amongst the 194 students were expelled from the college, and one was rusticated. It added that the remaining 183 were to pay cash fines.
“The cash fines, we have two categories, there is one which is three million Leones (Le3million) and the rest of the 182 are required to pay two million Leone (Le2million) each,” Dr. Tonia Musa, Director of Communications at FBC.
He said that the students involved will be duly informed in writing, noting that they will have the opportunity to appeal the decision at the University Court through the Pro Chancellor, and that those who wished to appeal the decision may contact the registrar to guide them on the appeal time line.
In response to the action of the college administration, Augustine Diction Bona, Student Union President of Fourah Bay College, declined to take a position on the matter when contacted by Politico. He said that the Student Union Minister of Justice will publish a position in that regards, noting that they were waiting to see the report of the investigation.
“Nonetheless, on my own part as the president, we firstly want to see the report of this particular ruling, go through it, and ensure that the report matches the recommendations or the penalties levied for the different students, after which we would now have a position,” he said in a telephone interview.
Bona added that as a body, they condemned any act of riot or unlawful conduct on campus in its entirety. He said that they have engaged the college administration to use other alternative means of getting students pay their fees, rather than chasing them out of examination hall. He said they have been able to get the administration agree on that, which is why students are now taking examinations without disruptions.
Copyright © 2020 Politico Online
