01/02/2024
THE DIVISION OF EXTRA-MURAL STUDIES, FOURAH BAY COLLEGE - USL HELD AN ORIENTATION FOR FRESH MEN AND WOMEN
On the 30th of January, 2024, the Students' Representative Council in collaboration with the administration of the the Division of Extra-Mural Studies (DEMS), Fourah Bay College - USL convened the maiden edition of freshers' orientation on the theme "Rebranding fresh men and women's perception of the course Adult Education and Community Development Studies".
The Division of Extra-Mural Studies is one of the departments within the walls of Fourah Bay College that offers Certificate, Diploma, Bachelor and PhD in Adult Education and Community Development Studies.
This innovative and mind-blowing initiative to orientate fresh men and women emerged as a result of students' wrong perception of the course, that it is meant to be training students how to teach adults to read and write (adult literacy and numeracy). But the course is far beyond that.
The orientation ceremony attracted a lot of people including continuing students of the department, lecturers and the Senior Admin Assistant at the Exams Office - Mr. Emmanuel M'Comark.
The program started with opening courtesies by Mr. Julius Kandeh Kanu, accompanied by individual silent prayers.
In deliberating on the relevance of the course, Mr. Cidi Mohamed Chebli - a lecturer at the department made it outrightly clear that the course Adult Education and Community Development Studies is far beyond the art of teaching old people how to read and write. He continued by saying that the course covers a wide spectrum of fields including; project planning, management, monitoring and evaluation, curriculum development, youth in development work etc. He furthered by encouraging fresh men and women to embrace hard work and avoid all forms of distractions on campus and also made a clarion call to them to always show maximum respect to their lecturers.
Ms. Agnes Pessima, who happens to be the oldest and longest serving lecturer at the department and also a one time Head of Department, admonished fresh men and women to embrace modesty and decency. Adding that they are being trained to become role models in society. She also emphasized the relevance of attendance for the overall continuous assessment of students stating that there's a special mark given to students who are punctual for lectures.
In his statement, the Ag. Head of Department - Mr. Mohamed I B Turay started by warmly welcoming all fresh men and women to the department. He continued by giving a brief description of the department, saying that back then the department was responsible for taking education from the university to the wider community which is why it's being called the Division of Extra-Mural Studies. He also stated that the department used to offer short-term courses for professionals of diverse fields. He however reiterated the purpose of the orientation, saying that it was meant to provide fresh men and women with an insight on the journey they have embarked on. He concluded by adding that the name of the course is what has been scaring students away, as they wrongly perceive it to be just about the teaching of old people. He stated that the course is so rich that most of the final year students from department get employed when they go on internship. He encouraged the fresh men and women to brace up and take every aspect of their academic work with utmost seriousness.
The Senior Admin Assistant at the Exams Office - Mr. Emmanuel M'Comark enlightened fresh men and women on the college's grading system, he also informed them about the penalties of exam malpractice which include rustication, rustication with fine and expulsion from the university all depending on the intensity of the act. He also informed them about the college's new policy for Year One Students, adding that the said policy doesn't create room for any year one student to progress with a reference to the next level (carry forward), which means they have to double their study efforts to avoid having reference (s). He concluded by encouraging the fresh men and women to always abide by the college's rules and regulations and wished them a successful academic journey.
In speaking on behalf of the Students' Representative Council, Amb. Usman Sheku Sheriff - Minister of Information and Communications, encouraged all the fresh men and women to pay their departmenal fees, adding that it's the primary source of revenue for the SRC to undertake developmental projects within the department. He implored them to always feel free to open up to members of the Students' Representative Council as their primary role is to advocate for the well-being of colleague students within the department. He concluded by admonishing them that it is by no mistake that they have found themselves within the Division of Extra-Mural Studies and they should take every inch of their academics serious.
Β©οΈ Sahr Osman Musa
Secretary General
DEMS Society Students' Representative Council.
