October 8, 2021
BY MOHAMED M. SESAY
Consistent with its oversight functions, the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Technical and Higher Education headed by its chairman Hon. Festus Mohamed Lansana, has on Wednesday the 6th of October 2021, paid a visit to the Eastern Polytechnic University in Kenema.
The visit of the committee will be also cascaded to other universities and colleges across the country for the period of four days.
Explaining the purpose of the visit to the Eastern Polytechnic University, the Chairman of the Committee Hon. Festus Mohamed Lansana noted that, as the 2022 national budget process is on-going, Parliament has requested its Oversight Committees to undertake a deeper oversight function over their Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to obtain first-hand information on their general status in the implementation of programmes and activities approved under the current national budget. This engagement has the benefit of providing an opportunity to Members of their supervisory Committees to effectively debate either in favour or against their 2022 proposed budgetary submissions.
Chairman Festus Mohamed Lansana also intimated that the Parliamentary Oversight Committee on Technical and Higher Education is left with no alternative but to engage the administration of Eastern University as providers of higher education services in that part of the country. He said they are seeking an update on the current and/or general administration of their Institution ranging from their successes, challenges and recommendations for an improved service delivery in the higher education sector.
Hon. Lansana also requested the Administration of the Eastern University that their update should further include a comprehensive data of their enrollment and tuition fees for each and every programme for the period 2019/2020 academic year.
“As Chairman of this great Committee, I am delighted to be here with my team to perform one of our critical functions as the people’s representatives. I am particularly pleased for having the opportunity to visit your noble institution for the second time following the previous visit of this Committee in 2019. With regards the 2019 visit, am pleased to inform you that the Committee prepared a detailed report of its findings and recommendations and which are tabled in Parliament for the attention and consideration of its entire Membership”, said Hon. Lansana.
He assured that his committee would work with the Leadership and the Administration of Parliament to ensure that the report is debated and its recommendations treated with utmost seriousness by the appropriate Ministry.
He concluded by reaffirming the unflinching Commitment of his Committee in fostering strong partnership with the institution with the view to ensuring that the nation is placed among the highly enlightened societies around the globe.
Welcoming the delegation, the Vice Principal of the Eastern University Gbesay Y. Amadu appreciated the oversight visit.
He acknowledged that, such visit between the institution and the government will yield tremendous dividend. He added that it was through such dialogue they were able to highlight their challenges for possible redress.
He appealed that in the past through the support of Members of Parliament, they have been able to operate the institution as a University and therefore, requested the support of the committee in order to address some of the challenges faced by the institution which include but not limited to limited financial situation.
In his activity report presentation to the committee, the Registrar John Juana noted that during the period under review, the administration has always done admission based on the available facilities and resources. He said the institution has fifty-three lecture rooms and currently the institution has a student population of five thousand two hundred and sixty-seven (5,267) students excluding Distance and continuing Education Students whose population is one thousand and sixty-three.
John Juana also disclosed that the institution has completed a Modern Library that can accommodate five hundred students with an e-learning component that can host fifty students at the same time. He however noted that fifty computers are needed for the e-learning section of the library.
He continued that the institution is faced with challenges of inadequate classroom space; inadequate furniture for students; inadequate science equipment;
He also noted the issue of delay in payment of subvention; non-payment of Grant-In-Aid subsidy since 2017 to date; recruitment and replacement of staff and the need for transportation for students and staff including payment of end of service benefits to retirees, among other challenges.
He concluded by sending out a passionate appeal for decision to be taken in resolving these issues highlighted.