Student Services

About ACACSC

Academic & Career Advisory, Counselling and Student Complaints

First floor, University House Building, Fourah Bay College Campus, Mount Aureol Hotline 8500

About the Directorate

Academic & Career Advisory, Counselling and Student Complaints

The Academic & Career Advisory, Counselling and Student Complaints (ACACSC) service centre is located on the first floor of the University House Building at the Fourah Bay College Campus, Mount Aureol. It is one of several directorates set up by the university management to provide services to students of the three constituent colleges of the University of Sierra Leone: Fourah Bay College (FBC), Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) and College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS).

What We Offer

Our Services

ACACSC offers a range of free services and activities aimed at ensuring a supportive, inclusive and enabling environment for learning and growth:

Academic Support

This service involves advising, tutoring, planning and developing skills to ensure that students are successful with their various courses of study. The directorate provides a wide variety of instructional support and guidance, educational services and college resources to students through collaborative efforts to help them meet their learning needs.

Career Advisory

The directorate is committed to serving students in their career quests and developmental needs that may require professional counselling support by regularly organising seminars and workshops. These activities help guide students and graduates in selecting employment options and making choices in their various career paths, while acquiring employability skills for a wide range of opportunities.

Counselling Service

Our counselling service provides systematic and creative psycho-social therapies and support that emphasize non-clinical practice while clinical related cases are referred to appropriate professionals; all in a bid to ensure quality service delivery in the provision of overall wellness for students.

Capacity Building and Training

The programmes at ACACSC create an interactive and enabling environment for both students and lecturers to strengthen their aptitudes to develop, implement and be effective in their work. ACACSC regularly partners with other departments and external stakeholders to address capacity and training needs for students.

Resource Centre

The resource hub at ACACSC provides computer services that have been mainly utilised and beneficial to students. This facility enables them to access electronic materials, online scholarly materials, international university prospectuses and reference reading materials.

Employment Centre

The employment centre co-ordinates opportunities for internships, jobs and volunteering prospects for students and graduates of USL. Once registered with the centre, students have access to vacancy adverts and potential employers.

Partnership

The directorate works in conjunction with colleges, directorates, departments and units at USL as well as with other external collaborating agencies to enhance the overall conducive climate to foster an environment where additional support can be provided.

Student Complaints

This is a confidential service for students to make complaints in-person or anonymously and register their dissatisfaction with any individual or office within the university community; ranging from bullying, soliciting, discrimination and sexual and gender based violence. Toll-free short-code 8500 is available for accessibility and the protection of identities.

Holistic Wellbeing

The directorate organises social extra-curricular activities and events for students to relax and provide a fun and enjoyable atmosphere with music concerts, spoken word and live theatre. It also hosts the University of Sierra Leone Theatre Group which provides an environment for creativity and talent growth in the arts.

Throughout the Year

Activities & Events

The directorate organises several activities and events during the academic year:

Annual Health Awareness week

A whole week of interactive sessions between health workers and the university community. Students and staff participate in various health-related talks, presentations and benefit from free medical consultations and tests. Recent campaigns have focussed on HIV/AIDS, mental health, Epilepsy, sexual and reproductive health and drug use/abuse.

Job trade fair and exhibition

A platform for students, graduates and the general public to interact with companies and institutions from diverse sectors, offering potential employment, internship and volunteering opportunities.

USL Sexual Harassment Campaign

A campaign to eradicate sexual harassment on all USL campuses. The directorate works with student union leadership and college ambassadors to address sexual harassment.

STEM Helpdesk

Provides assistance to girls in the sciences in secondary and tertiary institutions. School advocacy outreach programmes are regularly organised during the academic year.

Entrepreneurship Seminars

Periodic seminars organised with stakeholders from different industries. Successful entrepreneurs share experiences in banking, business, telecoms, finance, marketing and governance.

Human Resource Seminars

Workshops to develop skills needed for job hunting and employment — CV writing, cover letters, interview skills, confidence building, and responsible use of social media.

Confidential Student Complaints

Report concerns safely and anonymously

A confidential service for students to make complaints in-person or anonymously. Toll-free short-code for messages from all telephone services.

8500

Creative Expression

University of Sierra Leone Theatre Group

The University of Sierra Leone Theatre Group is currently the most recognized and celebrated theatre group in the Republic of Sierra Leone, West Africa that comprises the three constituent colleges of University of Sierra Leone: Fourah Bay College (FBC), Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) and College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) formed to nurture students creative thinking and performance with the aim of "edu-taining" its audience on various topical issues nationwide and globally. We believe theatre is an instrument that gives every society the opportunity to interpret its problems and render positive transformation. Over the years, we have successfully staged numerous plays for well recognized and established institutions within Sierra Leone on different important themes.

The organization was established on the 10th February, 2020 by Dr. Fatmatta Taqi, Director of Academic & Career Advisory, Counseling and Student Complaints at the University of Sierra Leone and lecturer in the Department of Language Studies and the Institute of Gender Research & Documentation at Fourah Bay College.

Our organization has worked with different individuals, civil societies and state institutions raising national awareness through community theatre [live stage performance], radio and TV talk shows, skits, jingles, short video productions that stimulate national peace and cohesion; our members are impacted with theatrical training, script writing and directing.

THE THRONE: A PLAY

This magnificent play is written by a seasoned Sierra Leonean Poet, Writer and Journalist, Mr. Oumar Farouk Sesay and directed by Mr. Mamadu B. Jalloh, an international Writer and creative Director and student at Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone. The Throne is one of USLTG's biggest production to date, with two performances staged on the 12th and 13th February, 2021 at the Freetown City Council Auditorium with over 500 spectators. As a result of its impact on society, the group won a $10,000 grant from Purpousful to perform the Throne at Africa's 10th Conference on Sexual Health and Rights in Freetown Sierra Leone.

University of Sierra Leone Theatre Group at Freetown City Council 230 Years Anniversary — At Bintumani Conference Centre in Freetown on Sierra Leone's 60th Independence Day celebration.

Meet the Team

ACACSC Staff

Dr. Fatmatta Bintu Taqi
Director

Dr. Fatmatta Bintu Taqi

Director, ACACSC

Dr. Fatmatta Taqi is the Director of ACACSC. She is also a lecturer in the Department of Language Studies and the Institute for Gender Research and Documentation (INGRADOC) at FBC, USL and is the University Marshal.

Dr. Taqi holds a PhD (Social Sciences) and an M.A. in Women's Studies from the Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, United Kingdom, a Post-Graduate Diploma in Education and a B.A. Degree in English and French from FBC, USL. She is also a Martha Farrell Memorial Fellow of the 2020 cohort.

She is the founder and pioneer of the University of Sierra Leone Theatre Group. Dr Taqi is the immediate past president of the renowned 50/50 Group, Sierra Leone's foremost gender parity and women's leadership advocacy institution.

Francess Jeneba Harding

Senior Administrative Assistant

Mrs. Francess Jeneba Harding joined the university in 2000 and has a Diploma Certificate and Bachelor's Degree in Peace and Conflict Studies and a Masters Degree in Governance and Leadership from Fourah Bay College and IPAM at USL. She also holds a Diploma in Human Resource and Personnel Management from Cambridge International College (CIC).

Francess is currently the Senior Administrative Assistant at ACACSC and has served as secretary and senior secretary in various departments at FBC and USL.

Abigail Amanda Jusu

Administrative Assistant

Mrs Abigail Amanda Jusu is the Administrative Assistant at ACACSC. She joined the university in June 2019 and served in the Short Course and Consultancy Unit. She holds a Masters in Public Administration, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and Diploma in Computer Software Applications.

Raymond Kallon

IT Support

Mr. Raymond Kallon is an IT Technician at ACACSC. He joined the University of Sierra Leone in 2020.

Momoh Sheriff

Office Assistant

Mr. Momoh Sheriff joined the University of Sierra Leone in 2016 and is currently an Office Assistant at ACACSC. He is currently pursuing a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration at IPAM.