By: Mohamed M. Sesay
Chairman of the Special Select Committee in Parliament who also doubles as the Leader of the National Ground Coalition Party (NGC) Hon. Dr. Kandeh Yumkella, has sent strong warding warning against trivializing the fight against fake academic credentials.
He said that the new normal of fake academic institutions awarding fake degrees has the socio-economic and political ramifications on the country.
Hon. Yumkella reminded colleagues Members of Parliament that the Academic Certificate Audit is far bigger than what they might think. He disclosed that from intelligence gathered, there is a specific college operating at Njalu Road in Bo that is also awarding PhDs to persons. He furthered that he wasted no time in contacting the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) to verify the authenticity of the institution. Hon. Yumkella said he was astonished to know that the institution was only certified to offer certificates and diploma courses and not degree and PhD.
Hon. Yumkella also expressed his dismay that people are using attestation as an excuse for missing certificate. He however intimated that there are more revelations relating to country’s academic standing which are good for the nation’s image. He therefore, called on those that have been named in the fake degree saga to humbly denounce those degrees as it is everyone’s responsibility to fix the educational system of the country.
He maintained that such the example should be set by Members of Parliament even though certificates are not prerequisite for a person to be elected as Member of Parliament.
Hon. Yumkella also cautioned colleague MPs to take the fight against fake academic credentials very seriously. He also called on the administrative wing of Parliament to cooperate with the request made by parliament to submit all academic certificates of staff as against Wednesday the 15th of June, 2022.
“There are political risk involved and that is why I want to meet with President Bio especially when two clerks whom were assigned to the committee had refused to sit on that Committee for reason I don’t know”, he said.
In his response to the chairman of the Select Committee on Academic Audit, the Speaker Dr. Abass Bundu called on all and sundry to put political interest aside in the fight against fake academic degrees for the sake of national interest. He also acknowledged that issue of academic theft has further degenerated to the West African Senior School Certificate Examinations wherein, school pupils now believe in spying to pass the Exam rather than studying and make clean results.
Dr. Abass Bundu reminded that President Bio’s New Direction Government has prioritized education by predicated it on the nation’s development. He therefore, made a clarion call on all Members of Parliament to be mindful of the legacy they would like to leave for their children. He also encouraged the committee Chairman of the committee to ensure that the needful is done by taking the exercise very seriously for the general good of the country.
He concluded by assuring the committee Chairman that he would have a word with the Clerk of Parliament on the two committee clerk’s refusal to serve the select Committee on academic Audit for possible punitive action.
