Investigations into the Factors Leading to Cultism and Violence in Tertiary Education Institution Campuses in Sierra Leone

The term cultism has been controversial among scholars in sociology, educators, anthropologists and interested groups and individuals because of the mirage of differences in their professional work and preparation, group interest, desire and goals, personal experiences and other infl uencing factors. Whatever the differences, sound documentary evidences point to immeasurable negative impact of cultism on students’ life, social bearing, academic performance and their related communities. There has always been an attempt to link cultism to violence in tertiary institution campuses. The objectives of this research were to identify the factors leading to cultic activities and violence in tertiary institutions. In order to address this study’s objectives, the researchers used a survey research method and design that involved a thorough planning and systematic arrangement of the means to identify the study setting, the variables, samples selection, data collection and analysis and the report format. Of the nine teacher training institutions in the country, three (33.3%) were randomly selected for the study. The research population comprised present and past students, lecturers and administrators of the senior, intermediate and junior ranks. Data collection consisted of two sets of questionnaires, an interview schedule and a Focus Group Discussion Guide (FGD). Regarding the main causes of students joining cult groups, peer group pressure attracted the highest responses in all three institutions followed by popularity needs.. Also, 40.2% of the students of all three institutions attributed violence on campuses to cultic activities and some students also pointed to student union politics (38.3%) as another source of campus violence. In addition, 53.3% of the students admitted that they were involved in violent confrontations with other groups and they identifi ed student union politics as the fl ash point of violence. In conclusion, by all indications cultism is a menace in tertiary education institutions and the campus communities. It provides the platform for student violence.