April 15, 2021
By Mohamed M. Sesay
Over students protest at the Institute for Public Administration and Management (IPAM), University of Sierra Leone which resulted to the arrest of five students including a female who was manhandled by police officers, the Human Right Commission of Sierra Leone (HRCSL) after their investigation, vehemently condemned the ineptness of the University Authorities and equally chastised Sierra Leone Police unprofessionalism and proportionality in handing civil protest.
Further justifying the ineptitude of the University Authorities which led to the students protest on that day, the press statement from the Human Right Commission observed with dismay that, a partial list of would-be grandaunts was published by the college administration which contained only about 350 names when over a thousand students are expected to graduate. Following the protest, a second list was published later in the afternoon but was also found to be faulty as students who had left the University were also included on the list while the actual students were not listed. The Human Right Commission also uncovered that, there were also issues of missing grades and also reference examinations which were in fact only conducted on Saturday with only four days left to the proposed graduation ceremony scheduled for the 14th April 2021, and also an outstanding reference exams to be taken
As also part of the ill administration of the University of Sierra Leone, the Human Right Commission also disclosed that there were insufficient academic gowns in supply by the college administration which some students had already paid for and this further infuriated the students, coupled with delays in the publication of sessional and final results which created uncertainty on the part of the students as to their status / level in their respective courses of study, and also delays in the verification of entry requirements / results.
On the other hand, the Human Right Commission observed that, the Sierra Leone police failed to apply professionalism in handling the situation on their arrival at the scene. For instance, a female student was seen manhandled by several police officers as captured in a video widely circulated on social media, and five students were arrested and detained including the female student mentioned above.
As part of the Human Right Commission’s Recommendations, the Commission has asked that the University should postpone the graduation ceremony until the outstanding issues have been substantially settled so as to avoid any further incident and give opportunity to parents and sponsors to witness the graduation of their children / beneficiaries; That exam scripts should be marked on time and grades published to allow students know their status as they progress from one level to the other and final grades verified and published way before date of graduation;
That both academic and administrative staff should endeavor to be professional in ensuring that students’ grades do not go missing. To this end, the University should ensure that the grading system is digitized as it obtains in many other Universities. With the conditions of service being improved by government, HRCSL expects quality service delivery to the students from lecturers and the administration as a whole
To the Sierra Leone Police, the Commission has demanded the SLP to immediately release all the students in their custody on bail pending any investigations; That time and again, HRCSL calls on the SLP to be always professional in their line of duty and refrain from using excessive force in quelling down riots and protests; That extreme care be exercised in dealing with women and girls at all times in such situations; and that the SLP should immediately institute an internal investigation into the conduct of those police officers who were seen in the video manhandling a female student and if found wanton should immediately be dismissed from the SLP and this should be communicated to the public.
“Students should use existing structures within and without the university (e.g. HRCSL) in seeking redress and should always resist any temptation to take the law into their hands. To this end, students are admonished to read Section 13 of the Constitution of Sierra Leone, 1991 with specific reference to paragraph (j) which states as follows: “Every citizen shall … render assistance to appropriate and lawful agencies in the maintenance of law and order.”
• Students should treat their academic work with the seriousness it deserves and endeavor to meet their financial obligations on time which they normally sign up to upon admission”, the Commission advised.
