Higher education in Sierra Leone was restructured in 2005 by the Universities Act of 2005 which provides for the establishment of private universities. In the Act the University of Sierra Leone was reconstituted to include Fourah Bay College (FBC), Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM), and the College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS). The restructured University of Sierra Leone is superintended by a Vice-Chancellor and Principal who is the chief academic and administrative head of the university and a Registrar.
Fourah Bay College the oldest constituent college of the university was established on 18th February 1827 and is headed by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor and a Deputy Registrar and comprises four faculties, Arts, Engineering & Architecture, Pure & Applied Sciences, andSocial Sciences & Law. In 2000, the College introduced the semester system which replaced the trimester system. This move also gave birth to the modular system of student assessment.
The College is currently located on Mount Aureol, a picturesque view overlooking Freetown, the capital of Sierra Leone. Its beautiful landscape and serene learning environment etched in beautiful green scenery provides a panoramic view of much of the capital city. Elevated, 300 meters above sea level with low carbon foot-print, the location is ideal for learning and ecotourism.
The Institute of Public Administration and Management (IPAM)was established on 5th November 1980. It has two faculties, the Faculty of Management Sciences comprising four departments – Accountancy & Finance, Business Administration, Banking & Finance and Public Administration. The Faculty of Information Systems & Technology comprises of the Department of Information Systems and the Department of Technology.
The College of Medicine and Allied Health Sciences (COMAHS) the first medical school in Sierra Leone was founded on 12th April 1988 by the Government of Sierra Leone with the Nigerian Government and the World Health Organization. COMAHS is mandated to producing doctors, nurses, pharmacists, biomedical scientists and laboratory technicians with a view to improving the health care delivery system in Sierra Leone. It has four faculties: Basic Medical Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Nursing and Pharmaceutical Sciences.
