The Speaker of Parliament, Dr Abass Chernor Bundu on Wednesday, 4 May 4, 2022, appointed the leader of the National Grand Coalition (NGC) party, Hon Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella as chairman of the Select Committee in Parliament to undertake an academic audit on officials holding public offices across the country.
The Parliamentary Select Committee, according to the Dr Bundu, is charged with the responsibility to investigate the authenticity of diplomas, certificates, degrees of all officials of ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) in the country.
The Speaker stated that the Committee headed by Hon Yumkella is also mandated to supervise all Select Committees in Parliament that are charged with the mandate to investigate different sectors or MDAs.
He said that all these Select Committees are mandated to request all academic certificates, diplomas and degrees for onward investigations.
“The Select Committees should submit all reports to the Academic Audit Select Committee headed by Kandeh Yumkella. The parent committee will now submit the report in the Well of Parliament for debate and recommendations will be formulated for action to be taking,” Dr Bundu said.
During the last sitting in the Well of Parliament, the opposition whip of APC, Hon Hassan A. Sesay said Parliament has employed over 300 staff ‘and they are applying with academic qualifications which must be audited now’.
Hon Sesay made this statement in Parliament on Thursday, April 21, 2022, during parliamentary sitting after Hon. Paul Sam moved a motion for Parliament to conduct academic audit. He explained that the academic audit must start in Parliament before proceeding to MDAs.
The Speaker of Parliament earlier explained that when late Professor Cecil Magbele Fyle was the chairman of the Tertiary Education Commission, he was put under pressure to register some institutions that did not reach the requirements for a university, so he (Prof Fyle) had to resign.
Hon. Dr Kandeh Kolleh Yumkella said it is a disgrace for people to have fake certificates, noting that section 93 of the Constitution mandates Parliament to set up a Select Committee.
He said that the excuses people are giving for paying US$5,000 for a certificate in Dubai is disgraceful, stating that those who used state resources to pay for fake degrees must return these monies to the state.
The mover of the motion, Hon Paul Saa Sam said the saga of fake certificate in Sierra Leone should be handled by the ACC, pointing out that few years ago, the ACC paraded teachers involved in examination malpractice at the Cotton Tree roundabout.
He said Parliament must show leadership, and that before they go to MDAs they should start with Parliament.
By Fatima Kpaka