In Dakar, the management of the Ucad university campus in Dakar has decided to postpone the reopening of the campus until early January 2024. For students, this new postponement of the start of the school year is unacceptable, 5 months after the closure of their establishment following to demonstrations after the conviction of opponent Ousmane Sonko in early June. “ We call on all students in Senegal to mobilize and block education at the national level to make themselves heard », Demands one of their representatives.
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At Senegalwhile a meeting must take place again at Cheikh Anta Diop University (Ucad) in Dakar at the end of October 2023 to decide what the schedule will be for the resumption of face-to-face classes, the management of the university city has decided to postpone the reopening of the campus – where a large part of the 85,000 students live – until early January 2024.
Official reason given: the need to carry out renovation work and safety improvements. But, for students, this new postponement of the start of the school year is unacceptable, 5 months after the closure of their university following demonstrations after the conviction of the main opponent Ousmane Sonkoearly June.
“ In Ukraine, where there is war, the University of kyiv has not been closed »
Ala Khane, president of the association of the faculty of letters and human sciences, calls for avoiding a blank year and reversing the decision to leave the university campus closed for 7 months.
“ We are the future of this country and the academic year must be saved by all meanshe says into the microphone of our correspondent in Dakar, Léa-Lisa Westerhoff. The Senegalese student no longer has hope of staying in a country where universities are closed. In Ukraine, where there is war, the University of kyiv has not been closed. But in Senegal, for a political situation, we want to close the universities. It’s deplorable “.
He protests: “ We call on all students in Senegal to mobilize and block education at the national level to make themselves heard, because this must stop. The university should not be closed for political reasons. We call on all universities in Senegal to unite as one and defend the student cause. »
A press conference of student friendships which was held on the Ucad campus was then quickly dispersed by the police, using tear gas.
Read alsoSenegal: professors at Cheikh-Anta-Diop University demand the immediate resumption of classes