The ears of the people of Sierra Leone are on the ground to know what will become of the promise of the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education (MTHE); that come 31 May 2022 all employees and/or appointees of government and parastatals should have produced their education certificates for audit.
A month or so ago, the Minister for Technical and Higher Education, Professor Alpha Tejan Wurie, stated: “All employees and/or appointees should be requested to produce their certificates for audit before 31 May 2022.” This statement or ultimatum was given on 26 April 2022 at the Conference Room of the Ministry of Information and Communication (MIC) at Youyi Building where a ‘Joint Communiqué on Unaccredited Universities and Award of Fake Degrees in Sierra Leone’ was signed by the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, Civil Service/Cabinet Secretariat, Public Service Commission, Human Resource Management Office, and Tertiary Education Commission.
This communiqué was done to restore academic integrity and address public concerns on account of the recent developments relating to unaccredited universities – such as Dominion Christian University and African Graduate University – conferring fake degrees and awarding fake certificates and diplomas in Sierra Leone, contrary to the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) Act of 2001.
In a joint meeting held on 26 April 2022, the stakeholders recognised the adverse effect of the conferment of degrees by unaccredited universities to undeserving persons who have not pursued approved academic programmes, as well as on the country, which has been a beacon of quality education over the years. This damning, destructive and demeaning act in the education sector will also create enormous difficulties for Sierra Leoneans and other people having and using genuine Sierra Leonean degree certificates to apply for further education and jobs in other parts of the world.
Hence to address the scheme and scam in the educational fabric of the country, the communiqué, which is in reaction to the illegal operations of Dominion Christian University and the African Graduate University and all other unknown unaccredited universities in Sierra Leone, contains ten measures or a ten-point policy statement to be taken or actualised by the signees to restore sanity to the education sector in the country. And one among these measures is that a system audit will be conducted following a self-cleansing exercise by all MDAs and public institutions in the country, which elapsed on Tuesday 31 May 2022. Hence all ears are on ground to know the next steps that will be taken by the government through the MTHE to deal with defaulters or holders of fake certificates in the civil service and public institutions.
For the records, the ten-point policy statement reads thus:
- All degrees awarded by Dominion Christian University and the African Graduate University and all other unknown unaccredited universities in Sierra Leone, are declared null and void and should not be considered valid for employment or as a criterion for further studies.
- The Public Service Commission, the Cabinet Secretariat, the Human Resource Management Office, Health Service Commission, Parliamentary Committee on Appointments and Public Service, Local Government Service Commission, Judicial and Legal Service Commission, Teaching Service Commission, Tertiary Education Commission and all public universities are encouraged to conduct a system’s audit of all academic awards to ascertain their validity. All employees and/or appointees should be requested to produce their certificates for audit before 31 May 2022.
- All those who have been awarded Honoris Causa PhDs should make this explicit in all public documents.
- Collaborative efforts will continue with the TEC, law enforcement agencies and other relevant bodies to identify all unaccredited academic institutions in Sierra Leone that are currently awarding fake degrees.
- The MTHE will work with the TEC to develop a policy on online courses and the conferment of degrees and the award of other qualifications.
- The MTHE will establish a Directorate for the verification of all qualifications awarded by international universities and/or other institutions.
- The MTHE will undertake urgent action with the TEC to review the TEC Act 2001 with the aim of strengthening its enforcement and regulatory powers for Higher Education Institutions in Sierra Leone.
- The MTHE and TEC will engage the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) to provide list of all institutions registered with the CAC in order to determine their eligibility to provide training and award degrees, diplomas and certificates.
- The TEC and CAC will develop an agreement that will require both parties to collaboratively register institutions as training and business entities.
- The Ministry of Technical and Higher Education will with immediate effect establish a help desk for members of the public to report the operations of all unaccredited universities engaged in the award of fake certificates.
As we write, today marks the 1st of June 2022, which means by this date the deadline on degree audit announced a month ago has elapsed. Hence our expectation is that the MTHE and other stakeholders trying to clean the anomalies surrounding the illegal and fraudulent acts of acquiring and using fake degrees in the country, particularly in public offices and Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) should come up or take up appropriate punitive actions on those who are found wanting.
While we look forward to seeing what comes up from the relevant authorities such the MTHE and TEC, we would like to highlight the saying that once bitten twice shy, since it has somehow been a pattern in this country where fact-finding missions and other bodies are set up to address issues of national concerns only to come up with no tangible or effective penal actions that will give justice to the issues.
Cases in point are the setting up of a committee declared by the President of the country to unearth the truth about the release of LAC – Baimba MoiForay – from prison, which resulted into naught; the Makeni-generator shooting that left many people in that part of the country killed and maimed; the Lunsar riot shoot-and-kill incident, the Tonko-Limba election killing of a young boy among others.
Another clinical fact about futile investigation exercises being undertaken by the current government is the rice saga wherein 49,000 bags of rice meant for school-feeding programme were stolen but after investigation or probing, which initially brought about the sacking of the then education minster Alpha Timbo, nothing came out of it, as nobody was eventually found guilty for the missing bags of rice. Later the sacked minister was reappointed to serve in another ministry – the Ministry of Labour, a position he currently holds.
These lessens have made many people within and outside the country skeptical about any steps authorities under this government would take to address issues of public concerns, especially issues that have to do with members of government or anything perceived to be putting the government in a ‘bad light’.
Forum would therefore like to let the MTHE, the TEC and other stakeholders in the education sector know that the nation is waiting anxiously to see the outcome of the education audit exercise declared a month ago, since the deadline of 31 May 2022 has elapsed.
