By Abass Jalloh
Following concerns raised regarding the nature of classes held at Fourah Bay College (FBC) University of Sierra Leone (USL), particularly at the Amphitheatre, the college’s Administration has stated that all lectures held at the said venue have nothing to do with classrooms, but that it is a matter of wanting convenience by the lecturers.
The administration has in a Public Notice banned all lectures at the venue with immediate effect. The statement said, “Lecturers are strongly urged to comply with this directive” and that failing to comply, “disciplinary action will be taken against defaulters”.
Speaking to Politico, the Director of Media and Communication, USL, Dr. Tonya Musa, said that long before now, lecturers had been informed not to organize or hold lectures at the Amphitheatre.
“It is not a suitable venue for lectures,” he said, adding that “there are so many rooms provided for lectures”.
He said lecturers are required to use the registry timetable in terms of delivering their lectures.
Asked whether there are enough classrooms to accommodate the huge number of students from different departments, Dr. Musa said some lecturers lookout for venues that are already occupied by the timetable and that they end up going to the Amphitheatre.
“They [the lecturers] want to do so for their own convenience, but at the expense of the image of the college,” he said. “Some lecturers by the timetable are supposed to start teaching either 2 pm or 3 pm, and some may want to bring their lectures as early as possible so that they may have time to go to town or do extra-academic activities.”
Amidst the many concerns raised about the nature of class sessions being held, students of different departments said they were pleased with the decision of the administration as it has been affecting their academic work.
Sulaiman Omar Sesay, a final year student at the Peace and Conflict Department, and also the Students’ Union’s Deputy Minister of Gender and Reconciliation, described the cancellation as timely and said he is excited that the distractions around the issue of venue since his admission at FBC have been resolved.
“Sometimes multiple lectures are going on at the same time at the Amphitheatre,” he said, adding that it is not formal and that the venue is built for other activities other than for holding classes. “You will not hear from the lecturer. Sometimes a particular class uses a microphone and the others do not; therefore, it will disturb the other students,” Sesay said
Ibrahim Sorie Conteh is a year three (3) student at the Social Work Department, whose classes have been partly held at the Amphitheatre since last year. Like Sulaiman, Conteh said that the cancellation is necessary. “I am very happy about that,” he said. “The place is not conducive for any learning process,” adding that the area is exposed to different people wherein different classes are held at the same time.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (23/02/22)
