BY: SHEKU PUTKA KAMARA – INTERN PRISONS HEADQUARTERS The PRISONS SERVICE – A GREGARIOUS INSTITUTION AND A REAL PLACE FOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMS I had neither been paid a thousand dollar stipend for my internship program, nor was I given major and minor allowances for me to move on smoothly, far from it. But the fact that the Sierra Leone Prisons Service is a superior institution with regards its concept of handling Internship programs ought not to be over emphasized. The diction of this piece is protected from the standpoint of an absolute experience that had and is still been gained at the Prisons Headquarters at New England in Freetown. Some people will fancy saying that ‘D ULTIMATE SHEKU P’ is simply trying to uphold a lap dog philosophy here. Well, freedom of speech they say and I must quickly state that they are affirmatively guarded. Internship programs are a must for every final year student of the Mass Communication Department of Fourah Bay College, University of Sierra Leone. At the end of every second semester in the Honours one program, students would have been packing their belongings to leave for various places of work to carry on with their Internship programs. They go to different places of work all across the country to practicalize their communicative philosophies. Get it directly, it is incumbent on every final year student at Mass Comm. FBC to go on Intern and sort out a fantastic Internship report by thoroughly engaging on activities. However, this year’s Internship program was a bit hectic. What was the problem? It is not news anymore because it has set the agenda in a higher degree. Let me don’t bother you – Ebola. The viral disease has clearly disrupted many facets if not all in this our beloved Sierra Leone. The Mass Communication Department being one of those departments at Fourah Bay College has really gone through a lot. Well maybe I should be straighter on this – the Internship students for the 2013|14 year have really gone through a lot and are still going through a lot. The institutions in Sierra Leone are quick to put the blame on the outbreak of the Ebola disease. I understand their plight though. For example, I had opted initially to do my Internship program at my hometown, in Lungi, at The Sierra Leone Airport Authority, but all Internship programs were suspended there because of the Ebola outbreak. That is just a tip. Let me now move on to elucidating the authenticity of my headline. As a said most institutions could not even accept students on Intern, but truly this was and is still not the case for the Sierra Leone Prisons Service. The Prisons Headquarters alone at New England in Freetown took over 20students on Intern. How about that for a helping institution? I have not seen any other institution in Sierra Leone presently that has accommodated even 5 Interns. Please help me identify one. Sources at the headquarters have disclosed to me that students who go for Intern at Prisons have a better chance of gaining permanent spaces should they deliver accordingly. Maybe I could be one. Just kidding though, but the possibility exists like undoubtedly! Certainly, the Prisons Service does not give stipends to students, but at least there is ‘food for work.’ All Interns and all other officers in the Service are given the opportunities of having lunch. Thanks to the daily food stuffs. Rice is the stable one that acts as the bottom, but the top pottage always varies. You don’t want to know what we take in daily so let me forge ahead. But I assure you the taste is on track. Besides, I hardly manage things. The authorities at the Sierra Leone Prisons Service are professionals. This is not because I want them to see me as a ‘good guy’, but ‘Debunk of FBC’ will say it’s ‘simply an expression.’ of the obvious. My mood is always cool and observation is a major technique that I do not toy with. Bernadette Cole knows that. The officers are always very friendly and they are just in place to make Interns feel at ease. Surely, the place is open up. Yeah! There are challenges in every field and the Prisons Service is no exception. The lack of stipends for Interns is definitely a challenge. Some of my colleague communicators are gaining stipends in their places of work, but Putka’s story is different. On the other hand, some of my other colleagues are in my shoes too. No stipends! No allowances! Again, I had always wanted to leave a mark for Internship programs in my department. This was because much is expected of SHEKU P at Mass Comm. FBC. One basic challenge is the area of funding. Whenever I do things, sponsoring the outcome was a big deal, but as a strategist, I certainly stood the test of times to come out clean. The greatest thing was that I was always allowed to do my things as an Intern. That feeling was truly great. I never wanted Magistrate Binneh Kamara to confirm my failure so I always go the extra mile. The situation had it tough stance, but I surely had my techniques to overcome the difficulties. Faray Bangura trained me those problem solving techniques back in 2011. I could not afford doing poorly because Tonya Musa knows that ‘I have the Mass Comm. Spirit.’ Imagine a situation where even Isaac Massaquoi asserts that ‘Putka is a very bright student?’ It shows and proves that I needed to leave up to those awesome expectations and the Prisons Service surely paved the way for me. My guru, Francis Sowa expects nothing but greatness from me. How would I ever let him down? Impossible! When I think of the general Mass Communication Students’ body of FBC USL, I aim at doing things ultimately because all of them knew how ‘Sheku P was a great and extra ordinary Public Relation Manager and one of the best outstanding students.’ I was not paid as an Intern, but I was allowed to work and map out my activities and that was the most important thing. Selling out ‘me’ was a sine qua none and the Prisons Service helped in doing this. The place is a real sight of work and surely I would wholeheartedly recommend for future Interns of the private school to choose the Prisons Service, because the Vision is ‘’to be secure, caring and reliable service’’ and the Service is not doing badly at all. Ensuring equal opportunities to all is among the core principles of the Sierra Leone Prisons Service so what more is expected of a hospitable institution? Figure that out gently!
Posted on: Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:04:14 +0000
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