The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone, Prof Lawrence Kamara said on Wednesday March 16, 2022 that the college has enough infrastructure to cater for the growing student population.
His comment came following a WhatsApp video showing students scrambling for Lecture Hall at the Chemistry building. Some of the lecture halls include: Soil Lab, Civil Engineering; Biological Science Department; Chemistry building, Arts building, Multipurpose building, new classroom theater located, Center for Students with Disabilities, FBC New Resource Centre, and Tudeh Cole Building, among others.
Prof Kamara explained that three years ago, infrastructural development was a problem on campus, but they have constructed new buildings that will cater for the growing student population. “We have over eleven lecture halls and majority of the halls can accommodate over 400 students,” he disclosed. “We are going to unveil two new building soonest.” He pointed out that the college no longer has challenge with classrooms.
Highlighting his recent developmental activities, Prof Kamara disclosed that they have launched the fencing of FBC perimeter project putting plans in place to reach out to Alimuni for contributions towards the project. He said that they have also launched the FBC Development Trust Fund with a seed money of Le200 million.
He added that the College has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with a Chinese company and NASSIT for the construction of two new hostels which will cater for 400 students each.
He said that FBC is the only College that has so far reviewed curricula for all departments, noting that the college has created E-Learning platform for Masters students.
Prof Kamara stated that through the partnerships with external institutions, they have distributed 200 desktop computers to departments of FBC.
The Director of Media, Alumni and International Relations of the University of Sierra Leone, Dr Tonya Musa, said that the video which went viral on social media was misleading, disclosing that the said video was recorded over two years ago when the college was struggling for infrastructural facilities.
He said that “someone deliberately circulated it on WhatsApp to paint a negative picture of what is happening now.”. “As we speak, we have enough lecture halls and lecture theaters not just at the traditional location of the college, but also at Tree Planting.”
He explained that lecturers normally have timetable which help to get the system in order, but it becomes a problem where there are lecturers who are required to lecture perhaps after 2pm or 4pm as the case might be, but these lectures do not want to lecture in the afternoon, so they come in the morning wherein the lecture rooms have already been allocated to other classes. And at the end of the day, the students will be moving from one classroom to the other in search of an empty classroom.
He disclosed that to remedy this situation, they have engaged the Heads of Departments (HODs) to supervise their lecture so that they will adhere to the timetable from the registry.
The Minister of Tourism of the FBC Student Union Government, Hassan Hindolo Senesie confirmed the availability of adequate lecture halls.
He explained that classroom situation was challenging and students were taking lectures at the Ajayi Crowther Amphitheater, but with these new classrooms, student will no longer take lectures there.
By Stephen V. Lansana