The Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone and Chief Executive Officer of the Union Trust Bank, Dr. James Sanpha Koroma on Thursday 30th November 2023 officially launched the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) and the fourth Solade Adams Public Lecture Series at the Great Hall of the Goderich Campus in Freetown on the theme “Institutional Reform and Change Management at the Milton Margai Technical University: Challenges and Prospects.’
The Guest Lecturer and Special Adviser on Local Government at State House, Dr. Emmanuel Giama delivered the lecture on the fourth Solade Adams Public Lectures. Mr. Adams was the first African and Sierra Leonean principal of the MMTU who was described as dynamic.
According to Dr. Emmanuel Gaima, education in the past and now is two different trajectories, that he is honored and privileged to be selected as the Guest Lecturer, enlightened that institutional reforms involves actions, that he believes in human capital development, that education is the passport of the future, especially education that serves society and pointed out that the older universities have not been able main public lectures.
The Guest Lecturer went on to commend the MMTU for immortalizing Solade Adams, that the discuss must be taken to the wider Sierra Leone community, that education is now an industry, revealed that the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, the Tertiary Education Commission all evaluated MMTU before it was approved to become a Technical University as they provided the framework, policy and standards for the MMTU to be certified, that the structures including the University Court was established, that change must take into consideration the academic, administration and students as well as the three campuses of the MMTU and various other stakeholders.
He furthered that some people thought that the change at MMTU to a Technical University was an illusion, that the MMTU has all the advantages like infrastructure, staff and students for a Technical University status, that the President is no longer head of the university, that organizations must be regular to change to meet current trends, asked how prepared are people/organizations to change that some are afraid of and informed that government has established specialized public universities.
Dr. Emmanuel Gaima also articulated on quality management, political commitment, that there is great demand for financial accountability, that there are moments of frustrations and disappointments during change, that the change at MMTU has prospects, that students can now be awarded degrees in technical/vocational education, that the MMTU now admits science students, that lecturers’ salaries have been harmonized and appealed to the administration to form partnerships with similar institutions at home and abroad.
Earlier in his welcome address, the Vice Chancellor and Principal of MMTU, Dr. Philip John Kanu described the day as momentous, that the public lectures series was designed for prominent people and that the MMTU’s 60th anniversary celebrations would be held from now to the end of December this year with a series of activities.
The Chancellor of MMTU, Dr. Victor Kabia revealed that Mr. Solade Adams inspired many people, that he always made efforts to improve the academic performance of students, underscored that MMTU is a Technical University yearning for students who would transform the world, that the MMTU is grateful to government for the support and that they are exploring other sources of income to help government’s financial support for which they would launch an Endowment Fund next week citing Oxford and Harvard Universities that operate such programs that are 80% managed by Endowment Funds.
He also urged students to manipulate the environment to make the world a better place.
Officially launching the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, the Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, Dr. James Sanpha Koroma observed that intellectualism is from the head, that Sierra Leone is lucky to have a very good educational system that has been maintained and congratulated staff and students of MMTU recalling that his wife lectured for decades and was head of the Education Department at the MMTU assuring that he would continue to make himself available to the MMTU.
He revealed that he hails from a very poor and humble background, admonished that whatever one does must be done wholeheartedly, that one must fight for him/herself, be determined and that he never though he would be appointed Governor of the Bank of Sierra Leone and Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone, that people must not underestimate themselves, that he is proud of MMTU and urged all to build their integrity and respectability.
He also underscored that what matters in life is what one does outside the university, that one must not disappoint him/herself, help others, go out and do the best and wished all a successful tenure in life.
Highlights of the event were pledges in support of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, fraternal greetings from the Alumni Association, the question and answer session while the vote of thanks was rendered by the Students’ Union President.
