After several months’ suspension, classroom teaching resumed this Monday 26 February at Cheikh Anta Diop University Dakar. However, the social campus, the students’ residence, remains closed for the time being, to the great displeasure of students and teachers, who are calling on the authorities to change this situation. 

Eight months after the suspension of face-to-face teaching, the Ucad is welcoming back its students. The Academic Council, which met on Friday 23 February, decided to resume face-to-face teaching, suspended since 13 June 2023, in all faculties, schools and institutes of Ucad: « After examining the second item on the agenda concerning the university situation and taking note of the conclusions of the enlarged Security Committee, the Academic Council has decided to lift the suspension of face-to-face teaching with effect from 26 February 2024 », reads the press release issued on Saturday. This decision comes a few days after the Head of State instructed on 14 February « the Prime Minister and the ministers concerned to hold a consultation meeting with the university community in order to find rapid ways and means of ensuring the normal conduct of teaching and the appropriate deployment of social works ».

« Getting the social campus up and running
For the students’ and teachers’ unions, this is a battle that has been won. What remains is the war for the opening of the campus, which will mark the effective resumption of teaching and learning. It is with this in mind that the United and Democratic Teachers’ Union of Senegal (Sudes) is urging the university authorities to move towards opening university residences to students. « We welcome the decision of the authorities to resume classroom teaching. We have been demanding this since August. We support this decision. But at the same time, we think that the authorities need to move in the direction of making the social campus work », commented Mouhamadou Nissir Sarr, Sudes communications officer, on Radio Sénégal. 

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The request to open the social campus is explained by the fact that « most of the students do not live in Dakar ». Moreover, exams have been organised and there have been a lot of absentees, simply because the students couldn’t travel to do the exams. I think it would be a good thing if we could reopen the social campus to allow everyone to resume their studies in very good conditions. Sudes supports this decision, but at the same time it is asking for measures to be taken so that we can actually resume face-to-face classes, » Sarr explained.

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To promote a peaceful climate at Ucad after the violent events of June 2023, the National Union of Parents of Pupils and Students of Senegal (Unapees) believes that it would be essential to put in place measures to prevent conflict and unrest within the temple of knowledge. « However, it would not be enough simply to reopen the university, but to set up a mechanism and convene a meeting attended by all the parties involved, in particular I would like to call on the student associations, the University Board of Governors, the Academic Council and the parents’ associations to get together and to agree », recommends President Abdoulaye Fané, while urging the university authorities to review the status and strengthen the resources of the University Ombudsman. 

As a reminder, the teaching and social campuses of Cheikh Anta Diop University Dakar were closed after the violent events that caused enormous material damage, following the sentencing of opponent Ousmane Sonko to two years in prison in the Sweet Beauty case.

By Alpha SYLLA