-As Pres. Ngaima Speaks of Huge Financial Support
By: Jonathan O. Grigsby, Snr. Contributor
MONROVIA-The National Commission on Higher Education (NCHE) Board of Commissioners has granted a baccalaureate degree status to the Lofa County Community College (LCCC) to operate in Liberia.
The approval of the Lofa County Community College (LCCC) by the Board of Commissioners of the (NCHE) to operate as a four-year degree-granting institution is informed by the argument that additional funding is available to operate the College for the first two years.
In addition, the approval of the College by the NCHE Board Commissioners gives the Lofa County Community College (LCCC) a “Licensure” status and also authorizes the College to commence operations in the specific disciplines mentioned above at the baccalaureate level for an initial two-year period.
The approval by the Board of Commissioners is fixed for the College to commence the Baccalaureate degree programs in January 2023.
With this, the Lofa County Community College is to offer and award baccalaureate degrees in the following areas in Education and Health Sciences. In the area of Education, the College will offer and award degrees in Early Childhood Education, Primary Education, and Secondary Education.
In a communication dated December 1, 2022, addressed to the President of the Lofa County Community College (LCCC), Dr. Samuel Kpehe Ngaima, states that during the initial two years of operations, the College’s management, the Commission will routinely monitor and evaluate the performances and deliveries of the College’s approved programs.
NCHE in the communication indicated that LCCC will reapply for the status of accreditation and approval program and activities will be thoroughly reassessed, to determine LCCC’s fitness for full accreditation status.
Instead of the Lofa County Community College (LCCC), the NCHE strongly recommended that the application name used by the College it will be changed to the Lofa County University College (LCUC) in keeping with its approved programs and an Associate degree status, aligned with the NCHE policy for regulating Post-Secondary institutions within the Republic of Liberia.
It further recommended that the College must recruit additional teaching staff with master’s degrees and PhDs to raise the instructional capacity of the institution.
Therefore the Commission is reminding the College to remain engaged with the NCHE as a means to keep track of its performances and deliveries of the program with adequate and current materials to enhance teaching, learning and research which are relevant to the programs offered foe quality educational provision.
Meanwhile, speaking recently in Congo Town at a news conference, LCCC President, Dr. Samuel Kpehe-Ngolo Ngaima, Sr., disclosed that the College says they have solicited huge funding that can run the operations of the College for the next two years.
Dr. Ngaima disclosed that the Government of Liberia through the Finance Ministry has committed considerable financial support to the College including the authorities of Lofa County; that is a country legislative caucus and the superintendent has apportioned 50 thousand United States Dollars yearly as well as another 50 thousand United States Dollars from several institutions.
He said besides, citizens of Lofa County residing in the United States of America have provided funding to the College for the construction of the College’s Technical Vocational or TVET building, which works is currently ongoing.
Speaking on qualified instructors for the College, Dr. Ngaima narrated that the some six of its staff have obtained PhDs, while 19 others are undergoing their masters’ degree programs.
He said some of the staff had returned following their completion to beef up the College’s teaching in preparation of transitioning to the university status.
Dr. Ngaima also used the press conference to thank citizens of Lofa County for their support to the College, even up to where LCCC has been granted university status.
History of LCCC
The Lofa County Community College (LCCC) was established in 2010 by the Act of the 52nd Legislature of the Republic of Liberia and was published and approved on April 14, 2011.
Known as the LCCC, the College has an overall objective of providing liberal and practical education leading to the granting of degrees in the fields of Agricultural, Health Sciences, Teacher’s Education, and Technical, Vocational Education, and Technology courses.
The primary function of the College is to provide skill training and capacity building to meet the manpower needs of the Liberian society; in contributing towards the production of human capital whose availability fosters national development.
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