By Ibrahim Joenal Sesay
FREETOWN, July 14 (232News) – The Principal of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU) formerly Milton Margai College of Education and Technology (MMCET) has disclosed that Le18M (Eighteen Million Dollars) has been allocated to the newly established university for its transformation from College to University by the government of Sierra Leone.
MMCET which was founded in 1963 became University on Thursday July 8th 2021 through the enactment of the Universities Act of 2021 by Parliament.
The Principal, Dr. Philip John Kanu who addressed newsmen at the Goderich Campus thanked the Lord for making them see such a historic day.
He said the 18 million US Dollars is for the rehabilitation and expansion of the three campuses (Goderich, Congo Cross and Brookfields), of which work has already begun.
Dr. Kanu also thanked President Julius Maada Bio for fulfilling his promise he made when he was commissioning one of the roads at Goderich; a promise which was not part of his manifesto.
Dr. Kanu went on to say the press conference was to inform the media about the vision of the new administration.
“I am very thankful to God and to one singular individual, His excellence President Bio who came to rescue Milton Margai and the nation as a whole”
In unveiling the vision for the institution, Dr Kanu emphasized that nobody will change his focus as they want to maintain high standards and discipline.
“Discipline which is one of the pillars we are going to work on is going to be maintained. Discipline, talks about attendance in class. You must attend your classes. Submit your assignments on time. Pay your fees on time.”
He added that “Standards maintenance is going to be priority number one. To maintain standards, requires a lot of things. I would wait to sit with the administration for us to develop the work plan for the next stage of our administration. Maintaining standards requires a lot of things. It is our plan to make sure that all of our classrooms are fitted with projectors and white makers boards.”
He spoke about empowering lecturers to become computer literate, students to have comfortable seating accommodation, resource mobilization and infrastructural development.
He added that he did not come with too many objectives, because he wants to make sure that they transferred the college to a technical university.
Disclosing that they want the involvement of lecturers, students and the community to present to them the kind of university they want.
He thanked the Vice Principal, staff, students and the press for making his dream a reality.
As part of the cerebration the Principal extended the cut off line for student fees to this coming Friday and that payment of late fees will attract fines.
The Vice Principal and Director of Studies, DR. Mohamed Allie Jalloh described his journey as a privilege to serve four Principals as they have waited for 47 years for this dream to come true.
He continued to say MMCET had been a teacher training college has transformed itself in serveral parts from the teachers training college down at Tower Hill to Teacher Training College at Goderich, Milton Margai Teachers Training College to the Milton Margai College of Education and Technology and now the Milton Margai Technical University.
“I never had the foggiest idea that I will witness this day today”
He said in 1973 MMTU was transformed to do Higher Teachers Certificate courses and in 1995 it became Milton Margai College of Education to offer degree programmes.
We have just started a journey and the next phase of this journey is the starting of a university.
The Minister of Tertiary and Higher Education Prof, Alpha Tejan Wurie said new Act will replace the 2005 Act.
Before 2014 Sierra Leone had only three universities when Parliament passed the Ernest Bai Koroma University that same year. Sierra Leone is one of the few countries that can boast of tertiary education for over 100 years.
