By Amin Kef Sesay
In a Press Release dated 24th October, 2020 Concerned Government Sponsored Students of Limkokwing University of Creative Technology Sierra Leone Campus have drawn the attention of His Excellency, Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio and the Government of Sierra Leone to the long overdue, prolonged holiday and stagnated impasse between the Government of Sierra Leone and the Limkokwing University, which to some extent has caused the complete breakdown and a halt of classes for over 1000 students that are on Government scholarship pursuing professional Diploma and Degree courses for over One year and three months without attending classes.
It was further stated by the sponsored students of Limkokwing University that they are perturbed and seriously frustrated over the snail pace at which their problem is been handled by the Government that is supposed to ensure their right to education is solidly guaranteed and protected as enshrined in the 1991 constitution but is treating and abandoning them as if they are not sons and daughters of the nation.
They recalled the 23rd of August, 2019,when students pursuing degrees took their year 3 final examinations to proceed to the final year of their studies, also the second year students and the diploma students that have already completed their internships only
waiting now for their end of course certificates till date but are unable to actualize this milestone achievement.
The concerned students say what saddens them most is the fact that majority of their colleagues that they started together in other sister universities and colleges have long since graduated and some are now working while they are unable to complete not to talk of the incessant mockery and name calling by some of their colleagues, community and family members.
They lamented that sadly, due to such an endless impasse, halt in classes and mockery, a handful number of their compatriots have gave up the ghost , some have been psychologically frustrated and traumatized. As for the ladies, some have gave birth to babies whiles others are pregnant and for some of them have lost lucrative opportunities.
The aggrieved students pointed that for some of their colleagues from the provinces they are in the city languishing and succumbing to all such of odds, eschewing the embarrassment, shyness and provocation ahead if returning home without their diploma and degrees papers.
They complained that painfully for them, their Sierra Leonean counterparts in other universities and colleagues are on their studies while they are at home dying with frustration, stress and trauma seeing their colleagues are progressing while they are sharply retrogressing with no sign of hope ,roaming endlessly, knocking the doors of rightful authorities, written volume of letters to authorities concern, the media , civil society , Inter Religious Council , Ministries , House of Parliament and other relevant institutions and personalities, holding plethora of meetings just to get their matter solve. According to them it seems as if their appeals, cries, efforts engagements and correspondences are treated with levity.
These frustrated students say based on the aforesaid they are calling and appealing to His Excellency Rtd. Brigadier Julius Maada Bio to swiftly intervene and ameliorate their persistent problem for them to continue with their studies.
They draw the attention of His Excellency that in as much as they are craving in his indulgence, they also want to make it equivocally clear that they are Sierra Leoneans with huge prospects ready to give back to society upon completing their various courses.
“His Excellency, you being a lover of education and a passionate and compassionate leader that knows the worth of education more so you’ve over and over reiterating that without education you wouldn’t have been a President of this great nation,” they stated adding how they strongly agree with him and also agree with the Government’s national agenda to ensure every child in Sierra Leone has access to quality education irrespective of one background. On that note, they are pleading to him and his Government to please resolve problems so that they can graduate and serve this nation the various digitalized and professional Hi-tech skills that they have acquired from the globally recognized university.
They ended by calling on all Sierra Leoneans including their Moral Guarantor, International Community, Civil Society and the Media to join them in appealing to the Government of Sierra Leone to see reasons and pay their fees as they have endured a lot.
