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Sierra Leone by Joseph B. A. Kandeh Introduction
In 2000, Sierra Leone had a population of 5.4 million and a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $121. Deteriorating economic performance, a relatively high population growth rate, and a civil war challenge the development of the country.History of Higher Education
University education in Sierra Leone had its earliest origin as the Christian Institute in 1814. It later became a teacher’s college, Fourah Bay College (FBC), when it moved to the east end of Freetown in 1827. Founded by the Church Missionary Society of Britain, the college became affiliated with Durham University in England in 1876, and started preparing students for degrees. The first degrees were awarded in 1879.The origin of Njala University College (NUC) can be traced back to 1912, when the government set up an agricultural department plantation and the college was upgraded to a university college in 1964; and in 1967 it joined Fourah Bay College to constitute the University of Sierra Leone. In 1988–89, the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) was added as a third college. The teacher training department of FBC was transferred to Tower Hill in Freetown in 1960, and was later renamed Milton Margai Teachers College (MMTC). In 1996, MMTC became an affiliate of the university and was renamed the Milton Margai College of Education.
Professional schools, such as the School of Nursing, the Hotel and Tourism Training Center, the Institute of Library, Archive, and Information Science, Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), and the law school were established in the 1980s as tertiary institutions.
Enrollment
University of Sierra Leone (USL) had 3,003 students. Fifteen technical and vocational institutes, with an estimated enrolment of 10, 000 students, have been upgraded to tertiary institutions. The capacity for enrolling students in the professional schools, especially the health-related schools, is limited. Many factors are responsible for the low intake of students in these schools such as students academic qualifications and financial constraints. The entire enrollment in the professional school is estimated at 500.
Source: Ministry of Education (June 2000). Faculty
SUL had a staff of 1,584. Of which only 87 were academic staff.
Governance and Administration
Below the head of state, who is the chancellor of the university are: the pro-chancellor, the vice-chancellor, the secretariat, the Board of Trustees, the constituent colleges, the auditors, the court, the senate, the faculties, the deans of faculties, heads of departments, and the staff. The technical institutes have boards of governors with government representatives comprising seven of their 12 members. The college council governs the teachers colleges.Research and Publishing
Promotion of academic staff at USL is primarily based on research and publications, rather than teaching. Over recent decades, a great deal of research has been conducted in the various tertiary institutions, including USL. In January 1985, USL established the University Research and Development Service (URDS) to coordinate all research development and consultancy activities in the university.Financing and Funding Patterns
More than 90% of the funds for tertiary institutions come from the government. Additional funds come from school fees and donations from donor agencies. Private tertiary institutions rely on generating funds from school fees rather than from donor agencies.In the 1995-96 academic year, the government grant to tertiary education was approximately $1.6 million. Of this, USL received 60%; MMCE received 9%, and the other five teachers colleges received about 6% each. Salaries and emoluments accounted for 66% of that year’s actual expenditure.
Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Sierra Leone please consult Joseph B. A. Kandeh, Thomas M. Dugba , and Joseph L. Pessima, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 527-535.
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