Too little too late!
At long last Government sponsored students of the LIMKOKWING University of Creative Technology from Malaysia seem to breathe a sigh of relief after almost three years in academic wilderness.
The University management has called on the affected students to commence registration for the 2021/2022 academic year, and classes will commence mid November, 2021.
Even if this may be a welcome development, it is coming too late and may not positively impact all the students who were robbed of the opportunity to enjoy the right to education.
Their ordeal started when the SLPP-Government refused to honour an agreement they inherited from the previous Government under the APC, which put a heavy financial burden on Government in respect tuition fees. The new Government reviewed the said arrangement and came to the conclusion that it was neither transparent nor prudent for them to spend such fabulous amounts of money on a private institution of learning, far surpassing Government owned institutions; and on the basis of the narrative that the Government inherited empty coffers, the fate of the students was sealed.
In fact, it was rumoured that the then Minister of Education, who single-handedly crafted the MoU between LIMKOKWING and the Government of Sierra Leone, Dr Minkailu Bah, deceased, was receiving fat kick-backs from the proceeds of the suspicious deal. At some point, the issue was being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Commission until the demise the Minister.
The affected students who are in the majority were stopped from attending classes, which led to protests, backed by Civil Society activities, but the Government gave deaf ears.
After wasting almost three academic years, one would definitely not appreciate the government reversing their position; many students would have lost endurance in academic pursuit by taking on other life ventures out of utter frustration. It is too little too late! As the adage goes, “tick tick, says the clock, what you have to do, do quick”. The Government should have done better if they had so in time. “A stich in time saves seven”.
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