18TH March 2026
The Deputy Vice Chancellor of Fourah Bay College (FBC), Professor Andrew Baio,
convened a crucial meeting with the Deans of Faculties on Wednesday, 18th March 2026,
to lay the groundwork for a strategic retreat and address key operational and academic
policies. The meeting, held at the DVC Conference Room, focused on harmonizing FCB procedures and reshaping curricula to meet national needs. Professor Baio opened the session by reflecting on his initial engagements since assuming office. "Since I assumed office in October 2025, I had my first meeting with the staff and senior management of FBC, informing them about my agenda," he stated.
He noted that those early discussions revealed a pressing need for standardized
guidelines. "I noticed in the meeting that several issues required policies and guidelines
for fairness, effectiveness, and consistency," Professor Baio explained, highlighting critical areas such as admission criteria for diplomas and degree programmes, student
promotion requirements, and the harmonization of housing facility policies.
A central theme of the discussion was a directive from the Ministry of Technical and Higher Education, urging tertiary institutions to reform their academic offerings.Professor Baio informed the deans about the need to introduce new programmes, and to "collapse certain programs or modules that are not appealing to addressing national needs and to an extent, entrepreneurship." He emphasized a holistic review of the entire "education value chain," from curriculum design to delivery and evaluation.
The DVC called for a pedagogical shift away from rote learning. He stressed that evaluation methods "should focus on problem-solving approaches, scenario-based [learning] rather than urging students to memorise notebooks." He further advocated for the integration of practical skills, stating that "entrepreneurship, many aspects of society,
mentorship, and field work should be part of the new curricula." To achieve this, Professor
Baio is expecting comprehensive input from "all stakeholders in industries, academia, and
policy makers in developing the new curricula."
The meeting, which sets the stage for a planned retreat in Bo from the 9th to the 11th of
April 2026, also provided a platform for the Deans to voice their perspectives. A key
suggestion from the faculty leaders was the revival of the matriculation examination for
specific high-demand programmes. "In response, the deans suggested reviving the
matriculation examination for degree programmes in Pure and Applied Sciences and
Engineering and Architecture," the DVC noted, while also calling for flexibility inadmission
criteria. Other concerns raised included the need for harmonizing academic standards within the university and with other national institutions, such as those providing legal training.
Addressing these concerns, Professor Baio assured the Deans that the retreat would be the appropriate forum for these discussions, with key regulatory bodies in attendance. "The DVC told them that the University Registry and the Tertiary Education Commission have been invited to the retreat, and they will discuss all of these matters in national interest and best practice of the University of Sierra Leone."
In a move towards greater efficiency and accountability, the DVC also outlined plans to
decentralize examination processes. He explained that the retreat would focus on equipping faculties with the necessary human and technical resources to manage this transition. A key outcome will be the introduction of a harmonized grade sheet and a standardized spreadsheet for collating and analyzing student grades. "This will address the problem of missing grades, incomplete grades and delays in capturing reference grades," Professor Baio affirmed, adding, "All matters of grades should be addressed by faculties and not the exam office." The DVC concluded by tasking the Deans to meet with their respective faculties to prepare departmental inputs for the upcoming Planning Committee of the Retreat.
By
Dr. Tonya Musa
Director of Communication and International Relations, USL