Tensions at the UIDT in Thiès: The SAES and the rector are locked in a power struggle over governance

A major institutional crisis is shaking the Iba Der Thiam University (UIDT) in Thiès. During a press conference dedicated to the institution's situation and the presentation of its list of demands, the local branch of the Autonomous Union of Higher Education (SAES) spoke out to denounce "decisions deemed illegal by the administration" and demand "strict adherence to transparency rules."

The university faculty union is in direct opposition to the management of the university rector, Professor Mamadou Babacar Ndiaye, arguing that social dialogue has broken down due to unilateral decisions submitted directly to the Board of Directors. Placing transparency at the heart of its approach, the SAES-UIDT is making the resumption of normal teaching contingent upon the comprehensive resolution of these institutional and administrative disputes.

“There can be no teaching until the issue of transparency is resolved,” warns the local branch, which points to “illegal decisions” at the highest levels of the institution. The union details its budgetary grievances: “Last year, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI) allocated 50 positions to us at the University Institute of Technology (UIDT). When the National School of Architecture (ENSA) separated, we also had 29 positions, bringing our potential staff to 79. We don't understand how we ended up in this impasse where, as of October, some teachers still haven't taken up their posts. This situation frees up financial resources that should absolutely go to the institutions.”

Continuing its attack, the union paints an alarming picture of the academic environment: “The University of Thiès suffers from serious infrastructure problems. Some colleagues have no office space, and the teaching facilities are completely inadequate. We are suffering immensely, and meanwhile, this rector thinks he can impose white elephants on us through investments for the rectorate. We are members of the Board of Directors, and the sums he claims are available do not exactly correspond to what we have observed.”

Faced with these accounting discrepancies, the SAES/UIDT demands a thorough audit of these resources, also calling for "an audit of the funds left by ENSA as well as an audit of the agricultural sector," while asserting that "the amounts are not linked to the university's accounts." Claiming that the rector is "no longer a credible interlocutor due to maneuvers aimed at imposing unacceptable decisions," the union is directly appealing to the Minister of Higher Education to take responsibility.

The central administration's response was swift. Rector Mamadou Babacar Ndiaye categorically rejected the accusations levelled against his leadership. Regarding the recruitment of department heads, he cited the regulatory framework: "Decree 2021-1504 concerning the organization and operation of the University, signed on November 16, 2021, stipulates in Article 52 that department heads constitute a faculty. They may assist the head of department, but they are appointed upon the department's proposal, after consultation with the university council."

The rector clarified the decision-making process: “This implies that the school council is the one that decides and manages. Consequently, if a school chooses to recruit a program director, the rector is in no way involved and cannot negotiate either the contract or the salary. This is what I reminded them of, referring them to the regulations, but they might want me to force the head of the school's hand, which I will refuse to do because it would be illegal.”

Addressing the management of the Community Agricultural Domain (DAC), the head of the institution affirms that all revenues have been regularly deposited into the university's coffers: "Investments have been made and the project is generating resources, but it must be understood that at the university, the sole manager of resources, both revenue and expenditure, is the public accountant. No one else can handle these funds. The bursar has a revenue ledger stamped by the accounting officer, which is a document from the National Treasury. Consulting the budget lines allows us to trace these payments exactly."

The rector concluded his statement by addressing the protesters: "To claim that we don't know where the money has gone demonstrates a lack of understanding of the basic workings of public institutions. Anyone familiar with public accounting simply needs to consult the budget documents to see that the money is regularly transferred."