2023-11-25 16:04:24
This November, the Cheikh-Anta-Diop University of Dakar (Ucad) is unusually calm. For almost six months, the educational and social campuses of the first French-speaking university in Africa, like other public universities in the country, have been closed.
“A precautionary measure”, justifies Khalifa Diagne, deputy director of the Center for University Works in Dakar, in reaction to the major rampages and clashes which broke out at Ucad following the announcement of the two-year prison sentence of political opponent Ousmane Sonko, on 1 last June. The academic council then decided to continue classes but online.
Announced as temporary, the measure drags on despite repeated requests from students and teachers for a face-to-face resumption. “This distance learning must be incidental. However, we are in total limbo as to how the situation is evolving,” deplores Fatou Seck Youm, coordinator of the Autonomous Union of Higher Education (Saes) for the Dakar campus.
Despite the sit-in of around a hundred professors in front of the rectorate on November 6, the academic council voted two days later to “continuation of distance learning courses and educational activities for the year 2022-2023”. “It’s sad but we are responsible in the event of a serious problem,” argues Khalifa Diagne, adding that the security of the social campus is being reinforced.
The difficult implementation of virtual teaching
The start date, usually in October, therefore remains uncertain for the 77,000 young high school graduates, while the 2022-2023 class was unable to complete or validate their year. Teachers and students had to use the D system. “I find myself doing social work, sending Internet credit to my students. We hardly have any exchanges anymore whereas being a teacher means sharing,” underlines Didi, a 53-year-old economics professor who preferred to keep his real first name quiet.
If within the academic council technology is seen as a way to avoid a blank year, the secretary general of Saes, David Célestin Faye, emphasizes that “posting a PDF file is not creating an online course! “.
According to the union, this teaching works poorly: students have significant difficulties accessing the Internet, frequent power cuts, or are poorly equipped. Especially since with the closure of the social campus, and therefore the accommodation, the majority of students from the regions, very numerous on campus, were forced to return home.
“Sometimes I get demotivated. I’m falling behind and I’ve already forgotten a lot of things”, explains Collé Kholl, a first-year student at the Faculty of Economics and Management, whose village in the North is not connected to the Internet. Without supervision, teachers are worried about an increase in dropouts. “We are losing the good seeds: the best are applying to study abroad”, alert Didi.
Educational calendar and political calendar
“The rectorate fears that we will regroup and cause excesses but nothing justifies this prolonged closure”, defends Demba Ka, a 25-year-old student in the Faculty of Letters and Human Sciences. Many voices criticize a decision considered above all political, while the presidential election must be held on February 25, 2024. Historically a space for contesting power, Ucad is strongly animated by local political life: closed during the March riots 2021, its doors remained closed during the legislative elections of July 2022.
“We must not model the educational calendar on the political calendar”, demands Modou Dieng, president of the Law Faculty Students’ Association. “We want at all costs to avoid a blank year and study. The authorities must take their responsibility and not sacrifice our future,” he insists, fearing a reopening only after the second round of the presidential election. Next April.
#University #Dakar #put #cover #authorities