Unions, minister in war of words over state of universities

Senegal’s two principal unions representing university lecturers and researchers have accused Cheikh Oumar Anne, the minister of higher education, research and innovation, of failing to honour commitments towards the improvement of their working conditions.

SUDES-ESR (Syndicat Unitaire et Démocratique des Enseignants du Sénégal-Enseignement Supérieur et Recherché) and SAES (Syndicat Autonome de l’Enseignement Supérieur) criticised the minister for his performance regarding university governance, budgeting, poor university infrastructure and facilities, and inadequate numbers of teaching and research personnel.

The war of words started towards the end April when SUDES-ESR confirmed a notice of strike action if the ministry did not satisfy its demands, some dating back to 2013.

Oumar Dia, the union’s general secretary, condemned the “scandalous incompetence” of the minister who did not have a grasp of the “structural problems of Senegal’s universities”, reported Sud Quotidien.

Minister lists areas of progress

In reply, Anne regretted the “attitude of certain SUDES-ESR leaders”, and said that the law the union wanted repealed or amended had resulted from consensus between the government and all the university community, including union representatives, reported Sud Quotidien. Each university had to adopt the decrees and rules concerning its own organisation and operations.

Regarding the ‘Marshall Plan’ demanded by SUDES-ESR for recruitment of personnel, Anne said that, in 2020, the ministry had authorised 200 new teaching posts in addition to those created for the needs of two new universities. The establishment of a programme of temporary research posts was awaiting confirmation by the universities.

On the issue of increasing research bonuses, Anne drew attention to “the huge financial efforts agreed to over several years to improve the conditions [of service] of higher education and research personnel with reform of titles and grades, which had a considerable financial impact”.

Among other benefits he cited were increased housing allowances, a solidarity fund for staff who retired before 2017 and increased pensions.

Concerning infrastructure, the minister said new building projects had started, while others were in their final stages. Offices for lecturers had been established at universities at a cost of 500,320,000 CFA francs (US$916,800).

Union questions commitments

But neither SUDES nor SAES was satisfied by the minister’s response.

Malick Fall, the general secretary of SAES, demanded Anne fulfil his commitments and said that, since Anne had been appointed as minister, the union had put all its energy into helping define the sector’s priorities and anticipate problems.

“In spite of the commitment of the SAES national office, it is clear that the expected results have not been achieved. We have observed many commitments that have not been respected, especially on budgets and university governance, but also on infrastructure,” Le Soleil reported him as saying.

An example was the government’s decision in 2019 to place all qualified school leavers in public universities, which had been achieved – while the minister had failed to keep his commitments to support universities to accommodate the growth.

Fall said no university had received the budget corresponding to the 200 posts opened by the government.

As for university governance, Fall said that, since April 2020, there had been no progress. For research, Fall criticised the inertia of the commission responsible for working on the new regulations: “After seven meetings, more than two months’ work, there has been no evaluation or progress,” he said.

Now SUDES-ESR has returned to add its criticisms to Anne’s response, saying that university governance was the responsibility of the government and it was unjustified to accuse a union of being responsible for the loss of university autonomy.

It said the new law caused a basic problem and did not conform to Senegal’s international commitments, reported Sud Quotidien.

Dia of the SUDES-ESR said there was no reason for the minister to celebrate the state of the universities’ infrastructure: “Assigning to higher education the curse of temporary shelters does not substitute for construction of infrastructure.

“What is undeniable is that the lecture hall of the University of Ziguinchor, which should have been completed in 2009, is still not finished; there has been no major construction at UCAD [the University Cheikh Anta Diop of Dakar, Senegal’s leading university] in spite of the 80,000 students who make up this jewel of Senegalese higher education; the students of Thiès are demonstrating, demanding their buildings be completed; the universities of Diamniadio and Kaolack have still not seen their campuses rise from the earth, and pay high rents for their houses and buildings.”

SUDES-ESR repeated its demand for recruitment of 3,316 teaching and research staff “taking account of the rise in the student population”.

It said Anne was pleased to have recruited 400 lecturers and researchers in two years but he had placed universities in an awkward position because, after asking them to make the appointments, he had not allocated the extra budget to pay them.

It listed several universities where lecturers’ unions and students were protesting. — Compiled by Jane Marshall.

This article is drawn from local media. University World News cannot vouch for the accuracy of the original reports.