A CALL TO REBUILDING THE BROKEN SYSTEMS WITHIN THE UNIVERSITIES OF SIERRA LEONE BY BISHOP SAHR ISAAC PETERSON

As a writer and writing-skills trainer for several years, I have sat with hundreds of students who entered university with hope and left feeling unheard. My purpose here is not to attack but to assure you that the student-lecturer relationship and the wider learning environment in parts of African higher education need repair. At Fourah Bay College, FBC, University of Sierra Leone, USL, many students tell me they feel they have no right to say a word or two when they believe grading is unfair or when they are spoken to disrespectfully. 

I have also heard students murmur around social media and private messages about feeling manhandled by some lecturers. Beyond the classroom, they speak of medical facilities that are overstretched, toilet facilities that are inadequate, graduation ceremonies marred by poor administration, and dangerous congestion on busy roads up the hill at Leicester and Model New Road. 

While I care to write on these things, some lecturers see it as an attack. This is going directly to the University of Sierra Leone, as it is also visible at IPAM, maybe COMAHS, which I cannot fully speculate on without more data. By contrast, during my first degree in Ghana I was privileged to have enriched my stay by the love of lecturers and by basic facilities that functioned. The difference was not intelligence or funding alone. It was culture and management: how institutions protect student voice, demand professional conduct from staff, and budget for the dignity of students. If a student who fought hard to secure five credits at WASSCE meets cruelty in the lecture hall and neglect in basic facilities at university, we all lose. Africa’s future depends on campuses where questions are safe, grades are fair, toilets work, clinics have medicine, lecturers show up, and graduation is organized with respect.

Students at FBC often report two issues in the classroom: lack of transparent grading criteria, and fear of retaliation for questioning marks. When a lecturer says “accept it,” students learn that inquiry is punished, not rewarded. Without a clear, low-fear process, students vent on WhatsApp, X, or in private messages instead of using formal channels. That is not disrespect. That is desperation. Research from the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa shows that classrooms where students fear speaking up produce lower critical-thinking scores and higher dropout risk (CODESRIA 22). If students cannot ask why 38 out of 100, they cannot improve. If lecturers never explain rubrics, they spend more time handling anger than teaching. The human cost is heavy. A student who survives WASSCE with five credits has already overcome power cuts, expensive transport, and crowded classrooms. To meet cruelty standards at university is demoralizing. It turns academic struggle into personal humiliation. That is what we must change.

The problems do not end at the classroom door. Students repeatedly tell me about medical facilities that cannot meet basic needs. On many days the campus clinic has long queues, limited drugs, and few qualified nurses on duty. When a student falls sick during exam week, the delay in treatment adds academic penalty to physical pain. Studies from the African Higher Education Health Collaborative show that universities with functional campus clinics record higher retention rates because students do not lose weeks of lectures to untreated illness (AHEHC 14). A university that trains future doctors and nurses must model basic healthcare for its own students. Clean water, a working thermometer, and paracetamol should not be a luxury. When the medical room is empty, students resort to private clinics they cannot afford or they sit in lectures sick. That is poor management of student welfare.

Toilet facilities are another daily indignity. Many students at FBC and other campuses describe toilets that are few, poorly ventilated, without water, and sometimes locked after certain hours. 

In 2019 a study by WaterAid on African university campuses found that inadequate sanitation directly correlates with higher rates of urinary infections and absenteeism among female students (WaterAid 8). When a student must choose between missing a lecture or using an unhygienic toilet, dignity is lost. Good toilet facilities are not a side issue. They are part of learning. Budgeting for water, soap, regular cleaning, and maintenance is budgeting for attendance and for respect. Students who climbed the hill at Leicester and Model New Road after a long day deserve to find a clean, safe toilet, not a locked door or a stinking room. Poor budgeting that neglects sanitation sends a message that student comfort does not matter.

Now add the lecture hall itself. Many students report that some lecturers send notes only through WhatsApp channels, then disappear for weeks. They are not found throughout the semester. Office hours do not exist. Questions go unanswered. How then do you expect good performance in halls of university? A student cannot build understanding from scattered PDFs and voice notes alone. University teaching demands presence, explanation, and feedback. 

When lecturers are absent and only appear to set exams, students memorize theories without grasping practical application. This explains why many graduates struggle with basic tasks. Ask a graduate to write you a one-minute record of a meeting without considering an AI tool. Ask one to write you a simple apology letter, and you will understand why FBC or the University of Sierra Leone is no more to speak about in terms of communication skills. One may say it is a kerosene rubber why, because stress and education do not go smoothly when the teacher is missing. Let me leave the research records on how students’ depression has affected universities in Sierra Leone, but the signs are visible in empty classrooms and anxious faces (CODESRIA 41).

Considering the high fee demands, where fake subsidiaries and connections exist, there is no denying the reason Sierra Leone only produces weak graduates with theories without backing practicalities. Students pay heavily for tuition, yet receive lectures through WhatsApp, clinics without medicine, toilets without water, and graduation without planning. 

Fake subsidiary programs and unregulated connections further dilute quality. When fees are high but accountability is low, the result is graduates who know theory but cannot function. This is a sad cry for the land. We are training young people to pass exams, not to solve problems. A nation that depends on theory without practice will remain stuck. 

Graduation ceremonies, which should be the proudest day for a student who fought through WASSCE and four years of lectures, often become another source of frustration. Students and families complain of poor administration: late programs, missing names on scrolls, chaotic seating, and long hours standing under the sun because crowd control was not planned. At FBC, the convocation grounds are near busy roads up the hill at Leicester and Model New Road. On graduation day, traffic jams, lack of parking, and no clear pedestrian routes create danger for parents and graduates in gowns. 

Poor management and budgeting mean sound systems fail, programs are not printed on time, and ushers are not trained. A ceremony that should celebrate sacrifice becomes stressful. Universities like the University of Ghana and University of Cape Town publish detailed graduation guides months in advance, rehearse with students, and coordinate with city authorities to manage traffic. The result is order and joy. FBC and USL can do the same. Good budgeting means hiring enough ushers, printing programs early, testing sound, and working with traffic police to close or redirect vehicles on Leicester Hill for a few hours. Graduation is not an expense to cut. It is the institution’s final act of honoring the student.

While studying in Ghana, I saw a different norm. At the University of Ghana and University of Cape Coast, lecturers held regular office hours and treated questions as part of learning. The University of Ghana’s Academic Regulations allow students to request a review of any assessment within a set period, and faculties are required to provide feedback on major work (UG Regulations 33). Clinics on those campuses stock basic medicine and have scheduled doctors’ days. Toilets are cleaned daily and water tanks are monitored. Lecturers do not vanish into WhatsApp groups. They show up.

Graduation rehearsals are mandatory and traffic plans are shared with the public. That policy changes behavior. Students do not feel they are begging for fairness or for basic services. They are using a system. Lecturers do not feel attacked. They point to the rubric. 

Administrators do not scramble at the last minute. They follow a checklist. The result is fewer conflicts, better essays, healthier students, present teachers, and ceremonies that bring pride. This is not about Ghana being better. It is about clear rules and budgets protecting everyone.

We do not need to import models from outside Africa. Several African universities have already built systems that balance authority with student rights and welfare. The University of Cape Town runs an independent Student Ombud office. In 2022 the Ombud handled 1,240 cases, with academic appeals and perceived unfair grading among the top issues. Students can file anonymously and annual reports are public, so faculties see patterns and fix them (UCT Ombud 5). UCT also budgets for campus health services and contracts private clinics when demand is high. The key lesson is that independence and planning build trust. The University of Nairobi introduced moderated marking for final-year courses after 2017 student protests over missing and disputed marks. Two lecturers now sign off on final grades and complaints dropped by an estimated 40 percent in three years (UoN Senate 19). Nairobi also upgraded toilet blocks and installed water tanks after student advocacy. 

Transparency reduces suspicion. Makerere University pauses tests for one week each semester and holds open forums where students give feedback on teaching, treatment, grading, and facilities. The Vice Chancellor attends and minutes are published. Scheduled listening prevents explosive conflict and helps management see that broken toilets, empty clinic shelves, and absent lecturers are academic issues (Makerere VC Office 12). Ashesi University requires every syllabus to include a grading rubric and gives students the right to view their marked script within days of release. The rule is simple: no rubric, no defense of a grade. Ashesi also budgets heavily for maintenance and has a 24-hour clinic. Clarity kills most disputes (Ashesi Handbook 27). The University of Pretoria runs short workshops for new lecturers on respectful assessment communication. Staff practice phrases like let us check the rubric together instead of that is final. Professionalism can be taught (UP CTL 9).

Comparing these systems shows what FBC and USL can learn.

 Many students at FBC are unaware of formal appeal steps and face delays if they try. The University of Ghana publishes a 10-working-day written review process in its regulations (UG Regulations 35). Rubrics are rarely shared at FBC and feedback is minimal, while Ashesi mandates a rubric before exams and script viewing after marking. Students at FBC murmur on media due to fear, whereas Makerere schedules a Voice Week with leadership present. There is no independent office for dispute resolution at FBC, so students fear retaliation, but Cape Town has an independent Ombud with anonymous complaints and a public annual report. Lecturer training at FBC focuses on subject content, not communication or presence, while Pretoria runs workshops on respectful feedback language and attendance. 

On facilities, FBC students report long clinic queues and inadequate toilets, while peer universities budget for health staff and daily sanitation. On graduation, FBC often struggles with administration and traffic on Leicester and Model New Road, while Ghana and Cape Town plan months ahead with city authorities. This shows the issue is not only money. It is policy, culture, and priorities in budgeting.

Based on what works elsewhere, any university can adopt a practical protocol in one semester. First, publish and teach the appeals process. Put the exact steps on every syllabus, on notice boards, and in first-year orientation: if dissatisfied with a grade, submit a written request to the Head of Department within a set number of working days and a second marker will review. When students know the path, they use it instead of social media. 

Second, mandate rubrics, script viewing, and physical presence. No exam without a published rubric. After grading, students can book ten minutes to see their marked script with the lecturer. Lecturers must hold minimum weekly contact hours on campus, not only WhatsApp. Attendance should be tracked. This is not extra work. It is the work.

 Ashesi’s experience shows it prevents most arguments and improves performance. Third, create an independent student advocate or ombud office. The office must sit outside faculties and report annually. Students can raise issues of grading, tone, access, medical service, sanitation, and lecturer absence without fearing direct retaliation. Annual data helps management spot departments and facilities with repeated complaints. Fourth, budget deliberately for student welfare. Allocate funds for campus clinic drugs, a resident nurse, daily toilet cleaning, water tanks, and maintenance. Partner with local health centers when campus demand exceeds capacity. 

Good budgeting means students do not miss lectures due to treatable illness and female students do not miss school due to poor sanitation. Fifth, professionalize graduation planning. Form a graduation committee six months ahead. Rehearse with students, print programs early, test sound, train ushers, and coordinate with traffic police to manage Leicester Hill and Model New Road on the day. Publish a traffic and parking guide for families. A well-run graduation honors sacrifice and reflects management competence.

Some lecturers and administrators worry that appeals and facility upgrades will overwhelm limited budgets. Data from Cape Town and Ghana says otherwise. Once rubrics are clear and one review is allowed, frivolous appeals drop.

 Students stop fighting in the dark and start learning from feedback. Lecturers report less time lost to arguments and more time for teaching. When clinics have basic drugs and toilets have water, absenteeism falls and lecture attendance rises. When lecturers are present, students perform better and depression rates fall. Graduation planning costs less when done early than when done in panic mode. Speaking up is uncomfortable. As I wrote earlier, I know this is not a good idea to speak up about, but I have to make things clear here. That discomfort is a sign the system is broken, not that the speaker is wrong. Universities that have lasted more than 180 years like FBC have a duty to model courage, not silence, and to budget for dignity, not just buildings.

To lecturers, most of you are dedicated and underpaid. This is not an accusation against all. But when some adopt a partial and unprofessional stance, disappear for the semester, and only send notes on WhatsApp, the whole profession loses trust. Professionalism means a student can ask about a grade and you can answer calmly with evidence. It means you show up. That is strength, not weakness.

 To students, whispering online will not change policy. Organize respectfully. Use written appeals. Document facts about grading, clinics, toilets, lecturer absence, and graduation logistics. If no channel exists, ask Senate to create one. The Kenya and Uganda examples show student advocacy works when it is structured. To university leadership at USL and FBC, Fourah Bay College is West Africa’s oldest university, founded in 1827. That legacy demands leadership now. You do not need to copy the Global North. Copy Cape Town, Nairobi, Accra, Kampala. African solutions for African students. Budget for clinics and toilets the same way you budget for labs. Plan graduation the same way you plan exams. Enforce lecturer presence the same way you enforce student attendance. 

To the public and media, hold universities accountable, but also report solutions. Defensive and plausible submissions by any staff member should be met with let us see the rubric and let us see the maintenance schedule rather than more heat.

A student who fought for five WASSCE credits deserves more than cruelty standards. They deserve mentorship, clear feedback, a lecturer who shows up, a clinic with medicine, clean toilets, safe roads on graduation day, and administration that plans with care. Lecturers deserve systems that protect them from baseless attacks and give them tools to explain grades. Students deserve facilities that respect their bodies as well as their minds.

Considering the high fee demands, we must stop producing graduates who only know theory. We must demand practical skills, honest budgeting, and real teaching. Africa’s classrooms and campuses must be places where inquiry is safe and basic dignity is guaranteed. When students ask why, they are not disrespecting you. They are becoming scholars. When lecturers answer with rubrics and patience, and when administrators budget for clinics, toilets, presence, and graduation logistics, they are not losing authority. They are building it. 

We can rebuild that culture starting this semester. Respect is not a favor students beg for. It is a standard every African university must meet. Let us choose that standard for the student who fought to get here, for the lecturer who wants to teach without conflict, for the nurse who wants medicine in the clinic, for the student who needs a clean toilet, for the graduate who can write a meeting minute without AI, and for the Africa we are building.

Yours truly,  

© Bishop Sahr Isaac Peterson  

Students Advocate  

Freetown, Sierra Leone