June 8, 2021
By Mohamed Jalloh
One could only be a stone hearted person not to commiserate with the plight of the Limkokwing University students. The weeping and outcry of the learners has not gone unnoticed. Their predicament has attracted global attention.
Reading from the surface without digging deeper on the issue, human rights activists could easily ascribe the episode as a gross violation of the learner’s educational rights.
The abrupt cessation of course programmes offered by thousands of Sierra Leoneans students at the university was brought about due to a reconsideration by the Bio led government to renegotiate what is generally abhorred as a bad deal.
The government had raised eyebrows in relation to the skyrocketing fees it pays in respect of the students who won a government schorlarship programmme to study at the University.
It is often said that “if you think education is cheap try ignorance”.
The maxim connotes that one must sacrifice some resources to drink from the well of knowledge.
It is accepted that is not cheap especially at tertiary level and should not be sold at price of “Akara…”
This is notwithstanding the fact that story of the university has been very controversial in terms of the bad agreement that was granted by the past APC government to have an unfortunate outcome that is now salvaged. Whatever becomes of the university beyond the planned scope of support from government remains in the realm of wait and see. But at least it is more than a sigh of relief to the hundreds of students whose dashing academic prospects has been rescued by the magnanimity of the Bio government.