Bruner an educationist once said that “Any subject can be taught to individuals at any level of development; it all depends on the degree of sophistication.”
If this theory holds, then failure in examination can never be an agenda in the English educational encyclopedia; because in the Chinese learning theory, effective learning takes place under these maxims;
Chinese believe that ‘When the learner only listens he can forget, when he listens and sees gestures, he can remember. But when he listens, sees gestures and do it by himself, he will know’.
This assertion may have derogatory meaning for academic intuition where the subject matter is passed-on through hearing.
Teaching has to be recognized as a profession. Not every educated individual is endowed in teaching.
That is why we detest Untrained and Unqualified elements to maraud the classroom in the name of a teacher, teaching has its own parameters and these have to be crossed before taking arms.
Education is a tree of wisdom that bears immortal fruits which we need to grow from generation to generation.
It is often conducted under formal structures, but also takes place in abstract environment sometimes unconsciously.
To be placed in the category of literates or illiterates; elite or erudite, educated or uneducated is just relative and subject to ones’ community.
Because a Doctor of Philosophy (PHD) acquired in English linguistics cannot be classed as a literate person purely in a Chinese or Arabian schools. To them, English will be the speech of a deaf and dumb.
Consequently, also, a Law student in Sierra Leone can be grossly inadequate in the Arabian land where dictates of Quranic laws thrive in the law books.
So who then can you classify as literate, illiterate, educated or primitive? Besides even our own present generation would soon be classed as primitive by the coming generation; just as we now refer to those who lived in the 18th century.
But our quest is not actually about educated, non-educated or literate, non-literate; what matters most to us now is the Going Concern of the Sierra Leone Law School.
We actually need to know why the School has been under the spotlight for quite sometimes now?
This is an institution we expect to be dignified in the glory of bin balance; JURISPRUDENCE.
But far from this, the school is now renowned; if not for national political fiasco, or internal student politics, it could be for exam mal-practices, massive failure of students, lecturer deficiency, discrimination, unequal pay packages and lack of self-confidence.
Who knows how effective some of these graduates from the school are performing. What category of students are admitted to the school or graduates invited to the bar?
Anyway. Don’t even bother to ask me about judges flouting of SECTION 138 OF THE SIERRA LEONE CONSTITUTION.
Scroll, go down to Act No 6 of the 1991 constitution which clearly bar a practicing Judge of the Sierra Leone judicature from receiving personal emoluments from other sources other than the legitimate pay that accrues to them.
The spirit of this section is to create a dichotomy between impartiality and obeisance.
If a judge becomes a lecturer of the University of Sierra Leone, his service to the courts becomes challenging not merely because of money, familiarity and lack of time management, but how can he be treated when he falls a prey of any academic discrepancy?
We are hearing of exam marks transposed, degenerated, interposed and statistically combined. Who is the Jones or Johnson Braima to ask?
The squirrel does not mind if the groundnut farmer has to pay someone after harvest, all he cares is to make away with a tommy full for that night.
So with a defaulting lecturer, do we treat him as a lecturer or a judge in a management meeting or in the court of arbitration?
If that is not enough, does anyone wish to convince this citizenry that there is absolutely no inadequacy on the part of the lecturers in the Law School in the delivering of classroom lectures or the subject matter therein?
How can any rightful thinking educationist like Bruner be convinced that it is the students that are so stupid in a class of 75 students sitting to an examination and only 7 passes? Who is fooling Who?
Failure should not be a package in the books of students that are invited to complete a notable course like law. For such; questions may be asked about the type of intake.
What is more damaging is the stigma of failure you know what I mean….. If a student is given bad exam marks in well-delivered course content, a lot of questions may draw strings and bewailed, the brain, stressful to imagine the number of man-hours that was put in the studies.
If we go down memory lane, you will even gap for more fresh air to know that you needed to spend 8 (eight) years in the University of Sierra Leone to be awarded a PHD……… ALAKI NOR MOR…
However, the call is for a vivid introspection and to weed out the tall grasses for the sunlight to penetrate every leaf in the vine yard for survival.
The university needs to take care of its sustenance if the administrators are not the lazy type.
Because the recent debacle poised to befall the institution should not be allowed to pervade public domain.
PLEASE WASH YOUR DIRTY LINEN IN DOORS.