By Ishmael Dumbuya
The German Ambassador to Sierra Leone, Jens Kraus-Masse’, on Wednesday, November 29, paid a visit to the University of Management and Technology(UNIMTECH) at Kissy Dock Yard in Freetown.
In his statement, Ambassador Kraus-Masse’ expressed delight for being invited to the university and added that the German Government has outstanding scholarship opportunities available that UNIMTECH can tap into.
He said he is ready to provide information on how students from the university can apply, but he however laid emphasis on excellent performance as a criterion for eligibility to receive German scholarships and student exchange programs.
He admonished the university to focus more on technology rather than management, as the world has moved towards technological drives.
He thanked the University for creating such a platform and promised that the German Government will continue to work with all academic institutions across the globe, especially Sierra Leone.
Professor Sankoh, Deputy Vice Chancellor of the university,applauded the German Ambassador to Sierra Leone for honouring their invitation and was thrilled by his presence.
He said UNIMTECH is a private university which is in dire need of a lot of facilities in order to expedite the work of the university.
He added that UNIMTECH is geared towards filling the teaching and learning gaps, supplementing the efforts of existing courses as well as introducing new ones, emphasizing that all the existing universities cannot capture all the courses present.
According to Professor Sankoh, initially, the Student Loan Scheme Program didn’t cover private universities, but that government has now seen the reason to include private institutions to the scheme.
He explained that UNIMTECH started as a small computer center, wherein students could be well trained in technology, but has now become a full-fledged university.
He added that they intend to expand and invigorate staff development, citing that UNIMTECH is amongst the best IT universities in the country.
He concluded that the university has established satellite campuses in Lunsar, Bo, Kambia, and Kono, in order to provide the opportunity for impoverished communities to attain tertiary education. “The university currently has over 7,000 students, and we are expecting 2,500 new students in the 2023/2024 academic year,” he said.
He went on to state that their mission is to make students very marketable in the employment industries and appealed that they need standard faculties as well as national and international reputation.
The visitation ended with a tour of the computer lab, offices of the DVC academic and chancellor.
