VZCZCXRO9839
OO RUEHMA RUEHPA
DE RUEHDK #0871/01 1901604
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 091604Z JUL 09
FM AMEMBASSY DAKAR
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 2725
INFO RUEHZK/ECOWAS COLLECTIVE PRIORITY

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 DAKAR 000871 
 
SIPDIS 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR AF/W, AF/RSA, DRL/AE AND INR/AA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PINS KDEM SOCI PHUM SG
SUBJECT:  Challenges within Senegal's Public Tertiary Educational 
System 
 
DAKAR 00000871  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1. (SBU) Summary: Universit Cheikh Anta Diop (UCAD) is generally 
billed as Senegal's premier institution of higher learning. 
However, recent student strikes have illustrated some of the glaring 
problems evident within the public education system.  Overcrowding 
and mismanagement have left the University struggling to deal with 
unmotivated students and uncommitted teachers.  A lack of 
accommodation, poor transportation, and rampant corruption perturbs 
student life.  Additionally, UCAD is falling behind private 
institutions which have embraced reform and innovation without any 
government intervention or impetus.  Reforms towards structuring the 
system into a more efficient system are slated for next year.  End 
Summary. 
 
Strikes on Campus 
----------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) UCAD enjoys the prestige of being one of West Africa's most 
highly regarded educational institutions. However, this reputation 
is being eroded as the student population has swelled to an 
estimated 70,000+.  The University's infrastructure was initially 
constructed to handle approximately 15,000 students.  The current 
situation is causing widespread strain as overcrowding and 
nonpayment of scholarships has resulted in several student-led 
protests and strikes.  A third-year pharmacy student observed, "It 
has become the de facto policy that in order for us to achieve 
anything we must strike.  The Government of Senegal (GOS) actually 
incites us to strike because this is the only time when they listen 
to us and take action."  The general consensus among the faculty and 
administration is that a "with us or against us" attitude has 
developed with the students making it difficult for any dialogue to 
take place.  The faculty meanwhile remains aloof and does not seem 
to be committed to establishing a high level of rapport with 
students towards addressing their issues. 
 
Educational Access for all... But at What Cost? 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The general tuition for all students is approximately 5,000 
CFA (around 10 US Dollars) making it affordable for all students to 
register.  The majority of students also receive a monthly stipend 
and eat subsidized meals on campus.  These generous concessions have 
led many students to extend their education for an indefinite amount 
of time.  Because actual on campus housing can only accommodate 
7,000 students a situation whereby 10-12 students are sharing 
accommodations originally meant for two has been created. 
Classrooms are not large enough to handle such a large volume of 
students and many find themselves outside of the classroom during 
lectures.  In the English Department alone, 21 professors are 
responsible for 7,000 students.  Also within this school, students 
only have access to most professors during a two-hour timeframe once 
a week.  Strangely, despite this sparse schedule the professors seem 
to think it is quite adequate. 
 
High Rate of Failure and Disillusionment among Students 
--------------------------------------------- ---------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Due to extremely low standards and selectivity for 
admission, the University has an astoundingly high failure rate. 
Many first-year students from rural areas find the overcrowding, 
accommodation, and transportation challenges overwhelming and end up 
dropping out.  Over numerous conversations with students and faculty 
it was reiterated that during the first two years of attendance the 
dropout rate has been as high as eighty percent of the incoming 
class.  After passing the first two years, students can repeat any 
classes they failed as many times as necessary to pass.  Students 
have been known to take an extra year in completing their thesis 
work in order to take advantage of the government scholarship they 
are guaranteed.  Students have even used these funds towards 
attending private schools in Dakar.  Professors are only required to 
work six hours a week at the university and several teach at both 
public and private institutions in Dakar. 
 
Private Institutions 
-------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Private tertiary education is a fairly recent development 
within Senegal.  Most of these institutions were modestly launched 
in the mid 1990s.  There are currently four private universities and 
several other specialized educational institutions in the country. 
Poloff's visit to the private Groupe Institut Africain De Management 
(IAD) offered a sharp contrast to the UCAD experience. 
Undergraduate tuition is 70,000 CFA a month (adding up to $1,500 USD 
a year).  Masters Students pay 1-1.2 million CFA respectively in 
their first and second years (approximately 2,190-2,628 USD a year). 
 While not affordable to every Senegalese student there is a clear 
difference in the quality of education received.  IAD's 1,500 
students enjoy a 10:1 student to professor ratio, a maximum of 40 
students per classroom and the professor's lectures available for 
download on-line.  In spite of these innovations, the GOS does not 
 
DAKAR 00000871  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
recognize private university degrees towards careers within its 
civil service.  The GOS also does not provide any public funding 
towards helping make these institutions more accessible to the 
masses. 
 
Comment 
------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The tertiary system of education is, in effect, broken. 
The university's policy of accepting all students is unsustainable. 
The GOS needs to allocate more resources towards vocational 
education so that students have more options to pursue.  The current 
intake at vocational schools remains quite low (Dakar has only 3,000 
vocational students).  The system is in dire need of reform and 
evidence of this is rife throughout the university.  In spite of 
this, the administration and professors are slow to act in creating 
innovative policies that will help staunch the current drain on the 
system.  While the GOS continues to build an increasing number of 
primary and secondary schools it has neglected the tertiary system 
which will eventually take these students. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Scholarship and subsidized food incentives are enticements 
for underperforming students to remain in the system forever. 
Smaller public universities within the country need to be increased 
in size so they can handle the influx of students going to 
university.  Assistance to private universities also needs to be 
considered by the GOS so education can become more affordable.  The 
future of Senegal's education is a bleak one if these issues are not 
properly addressed.  Student protest and dissatisfaction will only 
become worse if the GOS does not rectify some of the issues and work 
to handle a system that is fatally flawed.  A new system called LMD, 
modeled after the American educational system of credit hours per 
semester is scheduled to be introduced next year.  This change in 
itself can be considered a small step toward reform within the 
system. 
Bernicat