Addressing thousands of graduands at the Convocation ceremony of the University of Sierra Leone at the National Stadium on Saturday, President Bio noted that although Sierra Leone may no longer be the Athens of West Africa, he was convinced the country will soon become the Centre of Excellence, a hub of innovation and driver of bold entrepreneurship.
“That is the new Sierra Leone that each of us must be committed to building”, President Bio said.
The President challenged the graduands to be in charge of the change that everyone is yearning to see in the country and urged them to give their talents in the development of our motherland.
He called on the authorities to take practical steps to improve on standards and to make the University of Sierra Leone much more relevant to the development needs of the country. He said tailoring the courses to the needs of employers would make Sierra Leonean students fit for purpose in the world of employment.
“There must be a direct correlation between the university curriculum and the development needs of the country. Those who graduate from our universities form the critical mass of solvers of the development challenges of this country. The University must therefore ensure it is producing quality graduates who will promote Sierra Leone’s development in all the key areas of agriculture, medicine, engineering, entrepreneurship and other key development sectors”, President Bio emphasized.
The President also called on the development partners to invest in tertiary education to help break the poverty chain in the country.
