Presidential aspirant Umaru Turay reveals social development plan
October 19, 2016 By: Sahr Morris Jr.
Fourah Bay College (FBC), University of Sierra Leone, Students Union (SU) presidential aspirant Umaru Turay has revealed his development plans ahead of Friday, 21 October elections on campus.
Turay has dubbed his developmental policies as ‘Five Key Pillars for Development’, which he said would be a social contract between his administration and the students of FBC.
“Team work fulfills dream work. My vision to be the President of the Student Union of Fourah Bay College centres on my desire to serve and it is in lieu of this that I have already sign a social contract with the students,” he said.
“My vision is a resounding one pegged on five key pillars- Academic excellence, Students welfare & registration, reinstatement of reference re-sits exams, infrastructure and internship. Being a member of the Fourah Bay College Community over the years, I have become a living testament of the number of problems affecting us as students and that is the back bone of my policies.”
Umaru Turay, who is a Final Honours One student of Law, said under his ‘Academic Excellence Policy’, he would introduce the ‘Academic Rewards Scheme (ARS)’ which would serve as one of his blueprints for students’ development.
“It is a system which will take into account best performing students from all the faculties and reward them. Rewarding hardworking students would go a long way to inspire them in raising their game towards their academic work,” he said.
“ARS will serve the purpose of celebrating excellence. It will be a flagship programme of the Umaru Turay led SU Administration. It is my firm conviction that this initiative will be emulated and sustained by successive Students’ Union Administrations. The strength of this plan is deeply rooted in the fine reality that International Universities have tested it and the result: a visible increase in the academic performance level of students because of their aspirations to be beneficiaries of this covetous scheme.”
The presidential aspirant further revealed that in his quest to promote the initiative, already three non-governmental organisations have consented to support the ARS move, adding that plans were also afoot to submit the concept paper, which subsequent approval would see the scheme being implemented, whether elected or not.
On student welfare and registration, which happens to be his second pillar, Turay stated that he shall embark on constructive engagement with the college administration and other resourceful persons, adding that he would be advocating and lobbying for an environment of learning that would not be to the disadvantage of the less privileged.
“I will ensure I utilise my lobbying skills to ensure the Sierra Leone Grants-In-Aid complement the Academic Rewards Scheme (ARS). Incorporating the ARS will go a long way in making the award of SLG more transparent and of course be awarded based on necessity and merit not connections,” he said.
On his internship plan, the tall and black presidential aspirant said he would engage the college alumni to assist students with internship opportunities to make their transition to the universe much easier, while he revealed that plans were under way to engage the Sierra Leone Road Transport Authority to do something about the potholes leading to the college campus.