By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Registrar of Eastern Polytechnic, John Juana has disclosed that the government has approved the institute to attain the status of a technical university subject to the approval of Parliament.
The registrar made this statement during the institute’s annual matriculation ceremony for newly enrolled students over the weekend in the district headquarter town of Kenema.
He said that as the institution marks 20 years of effective academic and human resource production in this country since 2001, it was much more determined to instill a transformative mindset in the students.
He cautioned the students to be devoted to their studies and exclude themselves from arrogant behavior which will endanger their stay in the college, adding that: “this college has zero tolerance for cultism, any form of hooliganism and corruption.”
Speaking at the occasion, the Chairperson of the ceremony who doubles as a principal for the Holy Rosary Senior Secondary School Kenema, Rev Sister Venita Ngemukong Suh described education is the most powerful weapon one can use to change the world and also considered by many to be the first step that people take in their desire to gain knowledge with critical thinking, empowerment and skills.
She stated that the students made no mistake in enrolling in the institution to seek knowledge, urging the lecturers to bear in mind that students are eager to get knowledge from their expertise because of the trust they have in the lecturers and the institution with the belief that both parties will benefit.
While she encouraged the students to be studious and hardworking, Rev. Ngemukong Suh maintained that the only way they were bound to succeed is through hard work and devoted studies in order to effect positive social change in their lives and to contribute to national development.
She also used the occasion to caution female students not to use their beauty to pass exams but their brains in order to acquire good education on merit.
In his Keynote address, the Principal of the Eastern Polytechnic Professor Mohamed Konneh said that the institution will do all it could to ensure that the admission process into the institution is stress-free.
He said that for this year’s entry, the administration decided to cut down the number of applicants as a result of limited facilities with 5276 applicants, representing an increase of 23.4%.
Citing some of the achievements of the administration, Professor Konneh noted that the institution provides a library structure referred to by many as one of the best libraries in the country which accommodates up to five hundred students with an E-learning session that accommodates five students at a time.
He commended that lecturers within the college and outside for their contributions to develop several programs needed for their attainment of the status of a university, having started from certificate and now to degrees including other courses that were not being offered in the college.
He thanked the government for providing scholarships for lecturers to acquire their PHD degrees in other countries.
Professor Konneh reaffirmed the commitment and dedication of his administration for doing all they could to ensure that high quality education is delivered to build the human resource base of the country for national development.
The event comprised both regular and distant students pursuing different courses in the institution from certificates, diplomas, higher national diplomas and degrees in various fields.
Copyright © 2021 Politico Online {30/03/21)
