By Alie Turay
Milton Margai College of Education and Technology which was established about 50 years ago and the first Polytechnic Institution established in Sierra Leone by an Act of Parliament in 2001, comprising of three campuses over the weekend held its Convocation ceremony with 330 student awarded with different qualifications ranging from Certificate to Bachelor in Education.
The Chairman of the programme, Prof. Sahr P. T Gbamanga, welcomed everyone to the convocation ceremony for the award of degrees and diplomas as approximately, four years have rolled by since Milton Margai College of Education and Technology had its last convocation ceremony in 2010.
He congratulated the Acting Principal, Dr. Victor E. A Kabia for taking up the mantle of leadership of the institution. Prof. Gbamanga said the position of the polytechnic is becoming more obvious and pivotal as Sierra Leone is striving to become a middle income country.
He congratulated all graduates and called on them to explore and exploit the education they had and improve themselves further within or outside the university, while he called on them to pursue a career in a suitable organization and ask them to create jobs and employment opportunities to touch the lives of others, as the MMCET has been a giant in the production of quality teachers even in the face of problems facing the education system in the country.
Director of Higher Education at the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, Nabie M. Kamara who represented the Minister of Education Science and Technology, said Certificate, Diplomas, Degree is no longer a blank cheque to the bank of success but it must be relevant before it can be cashed, as stated, by President Ernest Bai Koroma in 2012 at Njala University.
He called on students with the ability to learn and practice life-long learning, think creative and called on the institution to make the student knowledgeable in Science, Technology and ICT, so that they will have the capacity to work, communicate and interact effectively. ‘You must be seen to be implementing and transforming skills necessary for these graduates to find or create jobs, so as to weaken the foundation of poverty in the country, said Kamara. He also call on the authorities to re-brand and re-build the institution in the areas like Promotion of Character and Learning, Preservation of the Culture of Merit and Excellence, Promotion of Effective teaching and Research, Upholding Law and Order, Internal Corruption in Higher Institutions.
Acting Principal MMCET, Dr. Victor E. A. Kabia, thanked government through the ministry of Education for their support in the form of subvention and payment of fees for students and also called on government for further support because the institution has incurred debts over the past years.
Vice Chancelor and Principal Njala University Prof. Abu Sesay, said “we at Njala are pleased that you take your affiliation with Njala University seriously and urged the college to continue to expand access to higher education to many more qualified Sierra Leoneans to allow them to realize their dreams, and contribute to the strong human resource base in the country.
Prof. Sesay also promised to continue to work closely with MMCT to ensure that affiliation with Njala University produces its desired dividends.