By: Emmanuel Mbowa
Freetown, 29th December 2025- “Removing experienced and seasoned lecturers from the institution will be unfair,” Ing. Mohamed Allieu Jalloh, Chancellor of the Milton Margai Technical University (MMTU), told Truth Media.
For the past several months at MMTU, there has been an intense outpouring of concerns from 310 staff members, including 120 senior lecturers. Their grievances centre on a “final separation” directive issued by the Vice Chancellor and Principal (VC&P), Prof. Philip John Kanu, following the institution’s 2021 transformation from a polytechnic into a technical university.
Despite the MMTU Court approving a re-categorization list provided by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), aggrieved staff claim Prof. Philip Kanu has been “unfair” in his efforts to remove them. They argue the situation is currently hindering effective teaching and learning at the university and, to a large extent, depriving them of their only source of livelihood.
“We raised these concerns with Minister Ramatulai Wurie. In May, she held a ‘family meeting’ with us and directed that we abide by the approved re-categorized list and ignore the Final Separation Letters issued by the institution,” said Fatmata Gloria Rhida, a senior teaching fellow and former principal lecturer.
Senior staff allege that while colleagues at Eastern Technical University (ETU), which transitioned at the same time, began receiving salaries under the new university status, MMTU staff continued to receive salaries and partial severance payments based on the old polytechnic payroll.
“We transitioned alongside ETU; there was only a week’s difference. Yet, re-categorized staff there were paid under the new university status,” Rhida noted. “The Minister suggested we move to a contract basis temporarily to be legitimized while the new Court was installed.”
Rhida added that they agreed to a three-month contract, which Prof. Kanu later extended to five months. However, at the end of that contract in September, the institution issued “end of contract” letters.
“Prof. Philip John Kanu told us everyone should stay by their phones, and if they called and you didn’t answer, you only had yourself to blame. We waited, only to see on social media in October that he had completed recruitment, issued employment letters to his preferred candidates, and that his new staff were to receive university-scale salaries.”
Staff members allege there is personal malice behind the decision to exclude 310 veteran employees. “The Minister again asked us to stay put and promised to address the matter. Meanwhile, the new Chancellor, Ing. Mohamed Allieu Jalloh, called an executive court meeting, but Prof. Kanu claimed there were no resources to hold it. On that very day, he took a list of 132 senior staff to the TEC to have us excluded from the voucher; fortunately, he was unsuccessful, and we were paid for October under the old scheme,” Rhida stated.
Speaking on these developments, Chancellor Ing. Mohamed Allieu Jalloh told Truth Media that discarding veteran educators is a mistake. “Some have served for over 20 years. They have a wealth of experience and are supporting children in higher education. Do not just do away with them,” he warned.
Regarding the bone of contention, qualification criteria, Ing. Jalloh urged the institution to grant staff more time to meet new university standards.
“Give them time,” he urged. “If they need a year to upgrade to a Master of Philosophy (MPhil), give them two. Some have children pursuing Master’s degrees and may not want to compete for the same resources on the small pay they receive. Provide scholarships or financial incentives first. If they fail to take advantage of those, only then should you take action.”
The Chancellor clarified that while an MPhil is the new minimum requirement for a legitimized lecturer, many aggrieved staff hold MAs or MScs. “Allow them to use these qualifications while they upgrade. It isn’t fair to dismiss them when they were already teaching there before the transition.”
Ing. Jalloh noted that while the institution wants to lay off those without the MPhil, the process must be pragmatic. “ETU started the same process seamlessly. At MMTU, even a lecturer who just completed a PhD in Engineering was affected. I have engaged the Minister on this and urged that the new salary status apply to all technical universities. She promised to salvage the situation.”
The Chancellor expressed frustration that his attempts to convene the Executive Committee of the Court have been ignored. “Now, look at how many weeks we have wasted. Lecturers are going on holiday, but they are anxious.”
To resolve the impasse, the Chancellor offered four rational recommendations:
- External Vetting: Call on the Vice Chancellors of all public universities to vet the qualifications of new lecturers deployed at MMTU, involving only Chairmen and Secretaries to ensure neutrality.
- Staff Comparison: Conduct a formal comparison of the qualifications of old staff versus the newly recruited staff.
- Salary Audit: Review and address the current salary disparities.
- Alternative Funding: To avoid budget strain, the government can seek partnership resources from organizations like PLAN International, UNDP, and World Vision.
Ing. Jalloh concluded that if these steps are followed, the Ministry will reach the bottom of the issue.
Truth Media reached out to Prof. Philip John Kanu for a response to these allegations, but he did not respond by the time of publication. We will provide updates as this story develops.
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