{"id":3147,"date":"2026-11-04T15:45:38","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T15:45:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=3147"},"modified":"2026-11-04T15:47:31","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T15:47:31","slug":"prof-lebbie-moves-to-ease-usl-admission-requirements","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/?p=3147","title":{"rendered":"Prof. Lebbie Moves to Ease USL Admission Requirements"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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By Abdul Rahman Bah<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The University of Sierra Leone (USL), under the leadership of its Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Aiah Randolph Lebbie, has taken a commendable step to protect the educational future of thousands of Sierra Leonean students following the disappointing performance in English Language in the 2026 West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The university’s decision to review admission requirements for selected academic programmes is a timely intervention that deserves recognition, particularly at a time when many young people are worried that their examination results could prevent them from pursuing higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an official announcement issued by the University of Sierra Leone, the Executive Committee of Senate met on Monday, November 2, 2026, to deliberate on what it described as the abysmal performance of English Language in the 2026 WASSCE and determine the way forward regarding university admissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The meeting considered four scenarios presented by the University Registrar before adopting specific resolutions aimed at addressing the challenges facing prospective students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Vice-Chancellor and Principal, Prof. Aiah Randolph Lebbie, reaffirmed the university’s commitment to maintaining quality and academic standards across its programmes, while ensuring that admission decisions respond to the prevailing educational circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Under the new resolutions, applicants seeking admission into degree programmes at Fourah Bay College (FBC) and the Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM) will be required to obtain at least a Credit (C6) in English Language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For diploma and certificate programmes, candidates will be required to obtain at least a Pass (D7) in English Language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the university clarified that admission requirements for all programmes at the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) remain unchanged. Similarly, the existing admission requirements for the Bachelor of Laws (LLB) programme at Fourah Bay College will continue to apply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The decision represents an important recognition that examination outcomes should not automatically destroy the educational ambitions of young people. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It also demonstrates the importance of universities responding responsibly to challenges affecting students without abandoning academic standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While USL deserves commendation, the disappointing WASSCE English Language performance should also trigger serious national discussions about the country’s examination system, particularly the marking, grading and assessment processes administered by the West African Examinations Council (WAEC).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For years, candidates and parents have expressed concerns about examination results, especially when students believe their grades do not reflect their academic efforts and preparation. Although dissatisfaction alone cannot establish that marking irregularities have occurred, examination authorities must be prepared to demonstrate that scripts are assessed fairly, accurately and consistently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WAEC must therefore strengthen public confidence in its assessment procedures by providing greater transparency, effective quality assurance and accessible mechanisms for candidates seeking reviews of their results.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Ministry of Basic and Senior Secondary Education, school authorities and other education stakeholders must also examine the underlying causes of poor English Language performance, including teaching standards, inadequate learning materials, reading culture and the availability of qualified teachers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It would be unfair to place the entire responsibility on examination authorities without examining the wider weaknesses within the education system. However, neither should examination bodies be shielded from legitimate public scrutiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The intervention by Prof. Aiah Randolph Lebbie and the USL Senate should serve as an example of institutional responsibility. Their decision demonstrates that universities can protect educational opportunities while maintaining the academic standards required for quality higher education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, Sierra Leone needs an examination system that commands public confidence and an educational environment where hardworking students are given a fair opportunity to succeed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prof. Lebbie has taken a commendable step. The responsibility now rests with WAEC, the government and other educational stakeholders to ensure that the future of Sierra Leonean students is not unnecessarily compromised by weaknesses in the country’s education and examination systems<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Abdul Rahman Bah The University of Sierra Leone (USL), under the leadership of its…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3147","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3147","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3147"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3147\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3152,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3147\/revisions\/3152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3147"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3147"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vindicatorslnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3147"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}