By Dr. Tonya Musa, Director of Communication and International Relations, University of Sierra Leone
Freetown, 28th August 2026- The University of Sierra Leone has taken a decisive step into the digital era, announcing that all student dissertations will now be submitted electronically rather than in hard‑bound copies. The policy, unveiled by the Vice‑Chancellor and Principal, is designed to modernise academic administration, ease financial pressures on students, and promote environmentally responsible practices.
Dr. Tonya Musa, who reported the development on 28 August 2026, explained that the directive takes immediate effect across faculties and departments. While students may still print personal copies for their own use, the University will no longer require bound submissions.
Quoting the Vice‑Chancellor, Dr. Musa highlighted the financial and environmental rationale behind the change: “I recently observed a significant pile of discarded student dissertations behind my office. These were documents that students had been required to produce at considerable personal cost, only for them eventually to be discarded. We cannot continue with a system that places an unnecessary financial burden on our students and, at the same time, creates avoidable waste.”
According to Dr. Musa’s account, the new policy is part of a broader digital transformation agenda aimed at efficiency, affordability, and responsible resource management. The Vice‑Chancellor further disclosed plans to deploy a plagiarism detection system, ensuring that electronic dissertations undergo originality checks before being formally accepted and archived.
Dr. Musa reported that the Vice‑Chancellor stressed the University’s commitment to maintaining academic standards: “Our transition to electronic submission does not mean a reduction in academic standards. On the contrary, we are strengthening our quality assurance mechanisms. Dissertations must demonstrate proper authorship, originality and acceptable academic writing standards before they are approved and archived.”
The University, Dr. Musa noted, has already invested in adequate digital storage infrastructure to securely preserve and retrieve approved dissertations. This system is expected to streamline institutional archiving and make the management of academic research more sustainable.
In her report, Dr. Musa confirmed that the Vice‑Chancellor has directed all Deans, Heads of Departments, and Faculty Members to ensure immediate implementation of the policy. Compliance is mandatory, reinforcing the University’s commitment to modernising its academic and administrative systems while protecting students from unnecessary costs.
