President Julius Maada Bio has, on Friday, 14th April, 2023, told graduands, their parents and guardians including university authorities that his government has increased staff salaries and awarded more grants-in-aid to students, citing that those with disabilities and women studying Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines, as those who have benefited hugely from the grants-in-aid.

President Bio, who was speaking at the congregation for the conferment of Degrees and awards of Diplomas and Certificates at the Fourah Bay College (FBC) campus, also said for the first time ever, girls studying STEM courses can attain education from primary school through university at no expense to their parents and guardians, adding that his government will pay the full tuition and provide other support.

“My government has also changed university governance for good with the review of the Universities Act – a manifesto promises kept that has granted complete autonomy to institutions of higher education. I have removed myself as chancellor and I am only now a visitor,” he told his audience who were mainly graduands, parents and guardians.

He said two polytechnics have been upgraded to technical universities – Eastern Technical University and Milton Margai Technical University, adding that the last APC government promised a Kono University they never delivered after 11 years in governance.

“In this first term of office, construction and operationalisation of Kono University of Science and Technology is underway,” he said.

President Bio said the University of Sierra Leone can increase access to higher education by leveraging new modes and platforms of instructional delivery that will take advantage of the increased ICT penetration in the country over the last five years.

“I would like to implore this set of graduands to think innovatively not only how to get jobs but how to create jobs and expand the economy. We have put in place the rudiments of industry to skills development linkages, and the increasing use of technology and ICT in higher education so that we produce both critical thinkers and worthy graduates who can operate within a digital work space,” he told his audience.

First Lady of the Republic of Sierra Leone, Her Excellency Fatima Maada Bio, said her mind is always brimming with ideas that she believes can change a life, many lives, and many futures.

“I never stop talking about those ideas because I believe that once you set your eyes on reaching the next horizon, the question then is not so much how you get there, because you will find a pathway no matter what, it is about how soon you will get there. For me, that journey is always inspirational and exciting,” she noted.

She said President Bio, her husband, is not a man of many words but it is from his moments of silence after listening to data on rape, after visiting a battered child in hospital, or a girl who misses classes because she cannot afford menstruation hygiene materials, that she moved into action knowing that cultural attitudes, lives, and the future of a vulnerable child can be changed forever.

“Amidst anxiety, fear, and uncertainty, in spite of our personal challenges and moments of doubt, we remind ourselves every day as citizens and leaders that we can and we must do something to change the lives of our people, and the destiny of our nation,” she said.

Vice Chancellor and Principal of the University of Sierra Leone, Prof. Foday Sahr, said in the 2021/2022 academic year, the number of graduands from FBC was 1,600, and from the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) there were 1,300 graduands.

He said since 2018, they have seen an increase in the intake of students who were pursing courses from the three constituent colleges of the University of Sierra Leone, adding that the three constituent colleges have made 90% progress in the review of their teaching curricula.

“We have secured 30 acres of land in Kambia, North-Western Sierra Leone, for the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) to construct permanent research institution. We have approved four postgraduate programs to go online with virtual studios in each of the three constituent colleges,” he said.