Initially planned for this Wednesday, January 3 for the Faculty of Letters and Thursday for the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences for the TDs, the resumption of face-to-face educational activities seems aborted at the Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (Ucad). Between the unavailability of selected external sites and the delay in organizing practical arrangements, doubt hangs over the reopening.

Can we talk about a chaotic start to classes at the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences? In any case, everything points to it. The non-opening of the social campus, the lack of communication around the resumption, the non-programming of the resumption calendars for certain departments and the non-availability of certain sites to host the courses are all factors which do not favor a return to school without a hitch.  This Wednesday, like many departments at Cheikh Anta Diop University (Ucad), there was not a big crowd at the Department of Philosophy, whose resumption schedule is nevertheless well-defined. The few students found there examine the posters of the timetables of the Licenses hung on the boards and affirm that they will not “go and take the courses” relocated to Cices, to the Lycée Maurice Delafosse and to the Islamic Institute of Dakar, at Bourguiba University… Fappy Bakhoum, License 3 student, left Castors to join the university. Without any educational materials or bags, he “already knew there would be no class”. How?: “People won’t be able to come and study when they don’t have anywhere to stay,” he explained. Like Fappy, many students describe the resumption of classes outside Ucad as unrealistic. Some students met there say they do not even know the Islamic Institute of Dakar.

Need for review and reorganization of sites

Found in front of his office, the head of the Philosophy Department did not wish to comment on the resumption of teaching. But well-informed sources tell us of a postponement or shift. “The date for resuming classes has been postponed to a later date,” says our source, while adding that “those concerned have already been informed of such a decision.” Information confirmed by the president of the Flsh Students’ Association. Reached by telephone, Alla Kane affirmed that the students were already aware of the postponement through posts from those responsible for the structure. Although there is not an official statement from both the administration and the students.

The motivation for such a postponement could be explained by the unavailability of the International Foreign Trade Center of Senegal (Cices), one of the sites intended to house the students. Indeed, if the Maurice Delafosse Mixed High School “welcomed with open arms the first lessons of the second semester with the provision of 40 rooms to the faculty”, according to its director, this is not the case for Cices. Previously, the College of Delegates of this event institution had stepped up to protest against the potential holding of courses in their premises. This Wednesday, it was the director of Cices who came out, just to silence the debate around the issue. Salihou Keïta recognizes the public status of the establishment he directs, but is opposed to the idea of hosting courses. “Cices is certainly a State institution, but we are a State event structure. We have our rooms, our pavilions and the spaces that we rent out. Because the State only gives us 20% of our budget, expenses and salaries are paid from operating revenues. If we agree to receive students, it should not be free. Otherwise, at the end of the month, I will have problems paying salaries. We can solve a problem, but we must not create another… This is what we first expect, after having visited the premises, for those in charge of Ucad to send us their expression of needs”, he declared on Iradio. In other words, Cices can host courses provided that the Ucad authorities first put their hands in their pockets. One way to pay the price of outsourcing teaching.

During the day, the Faculty of Legal and Political Sciences (Fsjp) announced, in a press release, the postponement, until next week, of (its) Directed Work (Td) initially planned for this Thursday. Reason given: “The reorganization of the occupation of the sites to accommodate the relocated courses.” The document also indicates that the Faculty of Sciences and Technologies of Education and Training (Fastef) and the Higher School of Applied Economics (Esea) (secondarily) will have to host the educational activities of the Fsjp.

By Alpha SYLLA 

  • Translation by Ndey T. SOSSEH