Prisons and inclusive education: Guy Marius Sagna challenges the government on two national emergencies

MP Guy Marius Sagna has raised two sensitive issues with the government: prison conditions and access to the baccalaureate exam for visually impaired candidates. The MP first denounced a practice he considers degrading.

"In Senegal, when you enter prison, you are stripped naked to be searched," he said, before asking the Minister of Justice where the government stands on reforms to end full body searches.

Guy Marius Sagna also raised concerns about "the scandalous overcrowding of prisons" and questioned the executive branch about the use of electronic bracelets and the progress of the construction of new prisons.

He did, however, welcome the latest circular from the Minister of Justice. "I commended and encouraged the Minister for his latest circular, which will help, without providing a structural solution, to alleviate overcrowding in Senegal's prisons. His circular and measures will reduce lengthy pretrial detentions and prison overcrowding. Therefore, his latest measures are beneficial," he acknowledged.

The parliamentarian then pointed out the inequalities in the organization of the baccalaureate for students with visual impairments.

In the 2026 baccalaureate exams, out of 36 visually impaired candidates, 5 passed automatically, including 3 with honors (Mention Assez Bien), 8 were eligible for the second round, and 23 failed. This represents a failure rate of 63.89% and a pass rate of 36.11%. "These figures are shocking. They are the result of the harsh discrimination faced by visually impaired students," he denounced.

According to him, the central problem is the single examination center. "Visually impaired students from all 46 departments of Senegal can only take the baccalaureate exam in one center in the department of Thiès. They have to travel from all over Senegal to take the baccalaureate exam in Thiès," he lamented.

Guy Marius Sagna is asking the government to commit to decentralizing the exam at least in Ziguinchor, Thiès, Saint-Louis and Kaolack before generalizing it to the whole country.

The parliamentarian proposes that the government ask the Baccalaureate Office to "transcribe all the exams into braille for the 2027 baccalaureate so that visually impaired candidates can start at the same time as their non-visually impaired peers.