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, which comprises of three campuses is calling on the government, Parliament and all other bodies responsible for upgrading the institution to an autonomous status.
This statement was made by the Acting Principal, Dr. Victor E .A Kabia during the graduation ceremony of (330) three hundred and thirty students, last Saturday at its Goderich Campus.
In his statement, Dr. Kabia said we have the potential of becoming an autonomous degree granting institution and we are asking for it.
He further stated that in terms of staff strength, we have 519 staff as is expected, the college has a reservoir of knowledge within its academic staff in diverse areas of specialization, ranging from Education, Social Sciences, Business Management area, Engineering, Catering, Hotel and Tourism and others, with the qualification ranging from HND to PhD, and their status from Instructors to senior Principal Lecturers with improved Staff qualification.
Dr. Kabia further stated that over the years, the institution has developed in areas including infrastructure, as well as curriculum and staff development, in keeping with quality assurance.
The college would like to serve its numerous stakeholders better by providing further quality service to be in line with the changing society, Dr. Kabia stated.
Dr. Kabia paid tribute to the founding fathers of MMCE&T and thanked his predecessor Dr. Dennis B. Kargbo who had been the longest serving principal of the institution and 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.
“Our greatest challenges apart from land encroachment, has to do with the supply of teachers, for the schools in the country with regards to the secondary schools in the country, there is a need for qualified teachers in the intake of students to provide trained and qualified teachers to handle the work , currently there is a rapid increase in the enrolment of students at the lower levels of the educational system. With this, it is envisaged that there would be an explosion of individuals seeking entry into institution like the MMCET Dr. Kabia lamented.
In his final statement, Dr. Kabia congratulated all graduates and told them to go out to the world of work, reminding them that they are ambassadors who must represent MMCET well, as the institution is proud of them and welcomed them into the alumni association (MIMOSA).