A Visit to Fourah Bay College

After language class this morning, we made a visit to Fourah Bay College, one of the oldest institutions in West Africa.  Again this eye-opening event was part of our training itinerary and we were excited to go and get a glance of what we might be facing in-country at our own sites.  We pulled into the parking lot and headed into the Education building where we were met with the Assistant Dean and head of the Distance Learning program.   He was terribly apologetic that we couldn’t be welcomed in a manner that had been planned but it turns out their Dean passed away yesterday and, in paying respect to his honor, the college was closed.  Beyond that, the electricity had gone off (which they took in stride) so there were no lights.  The welcoming faculty committee was planning the funeral so we never met them.  We did visit a nearby building to see what the lecture halls looked like and then were left to our own devices. 

Things were rundown as you can see from this photo taken through a broken window out of that building.  It reminded me of some of the Philadelphia schools I’ve visited and taught in.  What was most evident throughout this trip was the lack of materials and difficult conditions these folks deal with day to day.  Most of the lecture halls had chalkboards but the actual surface was not slate but composed of ceiling tiles mounted into place and painted black. 

We went to the library and were greeted by the assistant director there who gave us a short tour.  They are also plagued with little resources.  As you can see here, this is the extent of their entire book collection.  As well, the computer resources they have hardly accommodate the student body most of whom do not have any access to computers.  I counted almost 60 monitors that have to service their almost 5000 students. 

On return to the Education building, we got to sit down with the Assistant Dean and chat.  Still feeling the effects of the war, they are still struggling like all institutions of higher learning in the country.  When I asked him what the most gratifying part of his job was, he answered that serving this enthusiastic and committed student body had kept him there for the past 18 years.  He was also happy that their charge reached into the Sierra Leone countryside with what he estimated to be a 70% student representation, the remaining 30% are from Freetown.  What has been most difficult is that students have a very difficult time paying tuition not to mention the fees (there are no scholarships or loans available to them at this time).  When I asked what that dollar amount came to, he said that tuition ran about $250 a year (American) and the grand total including housing, books, etc. came to about $750 total.  Imagine. 

We had walked by some of the residence halls viewing their poorly condition as you can see below, but when I pressed about how many beds they had with regard to the entire student body, he sighed and said far too few.  There are about 500 beds for the men in their dorms and in the women’s dorms only 200-300.  In fact, last year the students protested this very situation and went on strike over this and a couple of other items.  After the police were called in, a week’s stalemate ended with the government stepping in to help negotiated a bargain.  They promised to renovate older buildings and to begin new construction on new dormitories. 

What brought this to a head, though, was again tied to the overall students’ inability to pay the costs to attend.  It seems that last spring the administration cleared the final exam rooms of non-paying students.  They had been attending class all term and thought it terribly unfair they couldn’t sit for their tests.  It was resolved that they were able to take the exams, while they still had their subjects fresh in mind, then receive credit only after they paid their tuition and fees.  Because of this, the entire school year has been placed on hold and the tentative opening date for the year will be in December whereas we begin in two or three weeks. 

I left with a certain sadness wondering how this could ever happen but also with even more determination to do what I can for the students Sierra Leone at Njala University.  I have no doubt the conditions will be much the same but am committed to doing my best for these folks with such a desire to learn.