By Aja Beyai
The University of The Gambia Students’ Union organized a press conference on Tuesday at the Kanifing campus to discuss the various challenges that emerged in the wake of Monday’s protest. The protest was prompted by the university’s recent decision to dismiss two prominent lecturers, a move that has sparked unrest among the students and faculty.
During the press conference, union representatives outlined their concerns about the implications of these dismissals on the quality of education and the overall academic environment at the university. They also emphasized the importance of open dialogue between the administration and students to address grievances and prevent further conflicts.
After the Monday campus protest, some students are venting their collective frustration at the leadership of their main Union for not standing by them more in protesting for their rights and interests.
They called for the resignation of the entire Executive Council of the University of the Gambia Students Union, accusing the UTGSU leadership of incompetence and complicity in a police crackdown on harmless protesting on campus, leading to the hospitalization of some students affected by teargas.
Speaking at the New Conference, Lamin L. Sanyang, the IPRO of UTGSU, said the Union, in collaboration with the sub-associations of the UTG Faculty Base Association, called for the conference to address some of the problems currently facing the Union.
He highlighted that these issues are related to the UTGFSA’s ongoing sit-down strike, which has halted lectures.
He also mentioned that the Union has been taking various measures to prevent such disruptions and the problem of two people being sacked from the School of Business and Public Administration.
During his speech, the President of the UTGSU, Nyianinka Manjang, emphasized the importance of unity among students.
He stated, “I want to emphasize that a divided majority cannot move the agenda of SU; a united minority is more impactful than a divided majority.”
He highlighted the shared agenda of propelling students’ interests and reaffirmed that the Union’s priority is to put students’ interests first.
He addressed the recent events, mentioning, “What happened yesterday… is not our intention,” expressing concern for those affected by the tear gas.
He urged collaboration instead of conflict, stating, “We could have fought this battle together,” and reminded the students that they could not take the law into their own hands after entrusting leadership to him.
Manjang pointed out the Union’s responsibility to engage in dialogue and find sustainable solutions for all university students, regardless of their background.
Since the lecturer’s dismissal on November 15th, he noted that the Union has relentlessly ensured that academic progress and administrative services are not jeopardized.
He confirmed ongoing engagement with stakeholders, including university management and staff associations, and mentioned that they passed resolutions during a recent meeting, emphasizing the Union’s commitment to protecting students’ interests.
The Secretary General of the UTGSU, Foday M. Sillah, provided an overview of events since November 15, 2024.
The issues started on November 18th when ECOMANSA wrote to the university management and copied the UTGSU, stating, “We want to ensure that the dismissal of certain lecturers does not negatively impact the students of SBPA.”
The union president and Secretary General responded, and the former director of student affairs assured them that management was looking into the matter to replace the lecturers.
On November 19th, the Union sent a follow-up letter stating that ECOMANSA’s previous correspondence was inadequate. They insisted on the urgent replacement of the lecturers. By November 23rd, ECOMANSA issued a petition warning that if the situation remained unresolved, they would consider taking further actions.
On November 26th, ECOMANSA announced a protest to address the lack of action on certain issues. The Union’s President received a call from the Vice President, who mentioned a meeting with the SU President and the President of ECOMANSA to discuss the implications of the protest.
During this meeting, several issues were discussed, leading to the passing of resolutions.
The resolutions included: first, “the replacement of lecturers must occur with specific timelines and locations maintained”; second, “no assessments would be held for students unless there was mutual agreement between the concerned lecturers and students”; third, “examinations for the affected courses would not proceed unless the students agreed with their lecturers”; and fourth, students working on research projects supervised by the dismissed lecturers should be “identified and reassigned to other lecturers.”
