2026-2027 school year: The G7 announces a 72-hour strike

The new 2026-2027 school year is shaping up to be marked by very high tensions in Senegal. The G7, which brings together the main teachers' unions (SAEMS, UDEN, CUSEMS, etc.), published a statement on October 15, 2026. Between persistent flooding, broken government promises, and salary delays, the social front is already flaring up with the announcement of a three-day strike.

This back-to-school period comes in a particularly difficult climate, marked by flooding following torrential rains at the beginning of October. Many schools were flooded, while the transport network was severely disrupted by road closures and deep puddles that made several routes impassable.

In response to this situation, the G7 welcomed the decision by the Ministry of National Education to postpone the start of the school year until Monday, October 12, 2026. The group also expressed its deep gratitude to all the nation's active forces mobilized for the pumping, cleaning, and weeding operations at schools, while urging the authorities to continue the actions undertaken to clear the still-flooded schools.

Teachers turned out in large numbers on October 5th for the start of the administrative year, a date that this year coincided with the sixtieth anniversary of World Teachers' Day (WTD), dedicated to protecting and valuing the teaching profession. However, the G7 regrets that in Senegal, there is still a long way to go to truly enhance the status of teaching staff.

The G7 has issued an alarming assessment of the follow-up to the memorandum of understanding signed on April 16, 2026 at the Prime Minister's office, deploring the clear violation of the commitments made by the government.

The evaluation of this protocol reveals the non-publication in September 2026 of the study on the remuneration system of civil servants, as well as the absence of sharing of the results of the audit on the back pay owed to teachers, initially planned for August 2026. Added to this are persistent blockages concerning the payment of allowances as soon as the exams are completed, the digitalization of the process and the completion of the Universal Diploma Training (UDT) according to the agreed schedule.

Furthermore, the union denounces the non-compliance with decree 2026-65 relating to wrongful decision-makers, the failure to take into account the revaluation of their retirement pensions, as well as the delay in the payment of allowances for EFA classes and the provision of Arabic textbooks to elementary schools.

Despite the solemn promises of the ministers and the commitment of the outgoing Prime Minister to guarantee the agreement, the government has failed to keep its word, transforming these unfulfilled commitments into a major risk of instability for the school year.

In addition to these structural shortcomings, there are serious current problems that are jeopardizing the daily lives of teachers. The group highlights the resurgence of delays in the payment of salaries for contract teachers, as well as the malfunctions surrounding the third FASTEF trainee program and the delay in the disbursement of the overall funding.

There are also accumulated delays in the training of multi-skilled facilitators and major irregularities in the disbursement of housing loans (DMC), characterized by multiple deductions from salaries even though the loans have not been allocated. Finally, the G7 deplores the shortcomings observed in the preparation of the teaching aptitude certificates (CAP 2026) and the lack of a definitive solution for the situation of Senegalese schools in The Gambia.

Given the government's clear lack of political will to address these critical issues, the G7 is taking a firm stance. Reminding everyone that it is the State's responsibility to ensure the smooth running of education and guarantee the stability of the school year, the group warns that any failure to do so will be seen as an attempt to deprive Senegalese children of their constitutional right to education.

In order to compel the government to respect its commitments, the G7 plenary initiated a warning action plan and decreed a total strike in all schools in Senegal on Wednesday 21, Thursday 22 and Friday 23 October 2026. Teachers are called upon to be extra vigilant and to fully play their role as sentinels to demand the strict application of the agreements of 16 April 2026.