The Director of the Institute of Management Accounting and Tourism (IMAT) College, Amadu Justice Bah, has asserted that his college does not award degrees including LLB or diplomas and certificates; rather, it only offers tuition for courses relating to public and external examinations.He stressed that the college is certified by the University of London to offer tuition for the LLB Degree offered by students in Sierra Leone
He was reacting yesterday, to a claim by Minister of Education, Science and Technology, Minkailu Bah, that the College is awarding LLB degrees after two years of tuition.“Our college is indeed a proud teaching institution in Sierra Leone for the University of London, we are not an awarding institution,” the IMAT Director averred. He made this assertion at a press conference held at the College Campus in Kingtom where accreditation documents for a number of public and external exams were shown to ascertain the Director’s assertion. The accreditation documents include tuition for Higher National Diploma, Diploma, National Commission for Technical and Vocational Awards (NCTVA) and also for international examination in Law.
According to Mr. Bah, IMAT College is the first college in the country that has been recognized by the University of London as its teaching institution, for its subsequent award of LLB Degree.“We value what is right, we know what is right and do what is right,” the Director stated, adding that it is important for students to know that the degrees they get after studying on their campus in Sierra Leone are of the quality and standard as those awarded to their counterparts on the campus in the United Kingdom.
On the issue of two years tuition leading to the award of the LLB degree, Mr. Bah disclosed that the college does not set the structure for the two years, but that it is only a teaching institution of a curriculum prepared by the University of London. He said it is the University that sets the standards for qualification for enrolment into the course.
He explained that the two year criterion is set for those students who have had their first degrees in a recognized university and want to offer law. He said it is this category of students who are allowed to go into the course for a two-year period and they offer nine modules and upon completion, the successful student can qualify for entry into the Sierra Leone Law School.
“The IMAT College is merely acting as an intermediary between the student and the University of London,” Mr. Bah noted, and went on to disclose that certain private individuals with interest in law have on their own contacted the university to pursue the course for the same two years period. He cited the name of Justice Browne-Marke as one of such individuals who went through the two years tuition to obtain a degree in law from the University of London. “The only difference with Justice Browne-Marke is that he did his studies in the United Kingdom,” he clarified
Amadu Justice Bah asserted that since the establishment of the IMAT College in 2008, it has “enriched the lives” of many students in Sierra Leone and the sub-region noting that they are using their partnership with “a world-class university” to advance the performance of students pursuing degrees, diplomas and certificates under their name. He opined that last June they hosted a high-profile delegation from the University of London including Professor Jenny Hamilton, the Director of the Undergraduate Laws Programme at the University of London.
He disclosed that Prof. Hamilton met with President Ernest Bai Koroma, officials of the MEST, the Directorate of the Sierra Leone Law School and the NCTVA during which they discussed educational opportunities for Sierra Leone.
He maintained that the IMAT College is committed to delivering on its promise, which is to provide proper and adequate tuition for its students to keep them in tandem with modern-day education consistent with the needs and demands of the country’s development.
He described the University of London as a member of the Federation of 18 Colleges, as an internationally esteemed institution that is known for its academic excellence, integrity and innovation. He said the University maintains a robust quality assurance process for all its study programmes and was last audited by the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA) in 2011 and received the highest judgment of confidence.
