By Emma Black

Sierra Leone’s higher education system is at a crossroads, academic standards are falling, and one major reason is the continued reliance on outdated modes of instruction specifically, the practice of lecturing rather than actively teaching. This is not political rhetoric; it’s a matter of national development.

In many institutions across the country, lecturing has become the default method of instruction. Lecturers often stand at the front of overcrowded classrooms, reading notes or clicking through PowerPoint slides, while students sit silently, expected to absorb the information without interaction, analysis, or context. This model may have worked in the past, but it is no longer adequate for preparing students to navigate the demands of today’s dynamic, knowledge-driven world.

According to Ezekiel, an advocate for educational reform, the time has come for a pedagogical shift a transformation in how teaching is approached at the tertiary level, he emphasizes the need to move from passive lecturing to active, student-centered instruction that inspires critical thinking, creativity, and independent learning.

Compounding the crisis is the growing misuse of artificial intelligence tools among students. While AI has the potential to enhance learning, its overreliance has led to a worrying decline in originality and academic performance, many students now submit AI-generated assignments without understanding the underlying concepts, resulting in shallow learning and poor delivery across colleges and universities.

Several factors contribute to the weakening of academic standards, Many lecturers have never received formal training in modern teaching techniques. As a result, they default to rote instruction, limited access to digital tools, outdated libraries, and congested classrooms make it difficult to implement effective teaching strategies, lecturers are often unavailable for consultation outside of class, and students lack mentoring and academic guidance.

Exams remain the primary evaluation method, with little emphasis on continuous assessment, feedback, or student progress tracking, teaching rarely incorporates real-world applications, and research is often detached from societal needs.

To reverse the decline and improve the quality of university education, Ezekiel proposes the following reforms, Universities must prioritize training lecturers in pedagogy—focusing on interactive techniques such as group work, case studies, problem-based learning, and blended instruction. transition from exam-only evaluation to continuous, formative assessments that provide regular feedback and measure students’ actual learning progress.

Courses should be designed to promote interdisciplinary learning and equip students with skills for the 21st century, including critical thinking, communication, teamwork, and digital literacy, Classrooms must become active spaces where students are encouraged to ask questions, challenge ideas, and collaborate with peers, by linking academic research to local and national challenges, universities can make learning more relevant and impactful.

Sierra Leone can no longer afford a model where lecturers serve merely as information transmitters. The future demands educators who are facilitators of learning, mentors, and enablers of transformation. True teaching does more than inform—it inspires, it challenges, and it empowers.

If the country is to raise a generation of thinkers, innovators, and ethical leaders, its classrooms must become vibrant spaces of inquiry and discovery, reclaiming academic excellence will require bold reforms, strategic investments, and a collective will to redefine what it means to truly educate.

Copy right –Printed in the Expo Times News on Monday, May 26TH, 2025 (ExpoTimes News – Expo Media Group (expomediasl.com)