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Senegal by Honore-Georges Ndiaye Introduction
Senegal has 9.85 million inhabitants, of whom 42% live in urban areas. The official language, which is also the language of instruction, is French.History
The Dakar University, created on February 24, 1957, had an enrollment of 575 students. In 1968, with the creation of the Polytechnic Institute, the total number of students increased to 3,000. In 1981, the university reached the maximum capacity of 13,000 students. By 1994, the number of students grew to more than 25,000, students while the number of research professors increased to 1,000. Cheikh Anta Diop (Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, UCAD), Gaston Berger (Université Gaston Berger, UGB), Advanced National Professional Schools, and private institutes constitute higher education institutions in Senegal.Enrollment
During academic year 2000-01, enrollment reached 23,198 students.
of Higher Education by Institution
Funding and Resources
Public higher education in Senegal benefits from a subsidy system, which until recently provided for 96% of the institutions’ budgets. In 1997, the budget allocated to education and training was estimated at more than 93.3 billion francs or 33% of the government’s budget, with 24.7% allocated to higher education (7% of the total budget).Major funding contributors include France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, USAID, the European Union and the World Bank. Other partners contribute to targeted research programs.
Research and Publishing
More than 90% of researchers nationwide are involved in developing research competencies. This is reflected by more than 50 doctoral majors and 35 professional specializations.Governmental subsidies allocated for university research are increasingly contractual, with precisely defined missions, performance criteria, and clear objectives. The aging teaching/research body and a lack of interest in the sciences on the part young candidates present serious problems at a time when the nature and modalities of research training are changing.
University research benefits from the University Research Funds (Fonds de Recherche Universitaires, FRU) which contributes up to 50% of the financing of research and development activities.
Governance and Administration
The higher education reforms announced during the inter-ministerial council in 1993, were designed to result in a number of outcomes, namely: comprehensive oversight of student enrollment; a complete reorganization of the strategies for research and development; the modernization of administrative and financial management; and the creation of a positive environment where academic freedom and other liberties are respected.The 1981 reforms lacked the political will and means to achieve such progress, while the 1993 reform had both but lacked the managerial commitment of the universities. The 1993 reform was not clearly manifested within the campuses of UCAD and UGB. The recommendations and the conclusions reached during the pedagogical development schemes in 1999, and at the university management workshop organized in 2000, confirmed that there was no leadership to initiate reform at the university.
Private Higher Education
The National Consultation Forum on Higher Education highlighted the importance of private/public professional majors, which are based on programs called competency programs. The proceedings of the forum affirmed that “to this effect, private schools for higher education shall contribute to alleviate the burden of university institutions, as well as diversify majors in terms of professional training.” The EPES, totaling 41 institutions, three of which are universities, has an enrollment of 6,000 students.Gender Issues
The number of female students increased from 44% in 1980 to 47% in 1995. In 1998, females represented only 26.25% of the total number of students at UCAD. The only schools where the number of female students is above average at UCAD are medicine (36.15%), law and political science (31.19%), and the EBAD (30.05%). The percentage is lower at the school of sciences and technology (Faculté des Sciences et Techniques, FST) (12.52%), the Advanced National Institute for Physical Education (Institut National Supérieur d’Education Physique et Sportive, INSEPS) (11.86%), and teachers’ school (18.02%).Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Senegal, please consult Honore-Georges Ndiaye, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, Indiana University Press, 2003), pp.: 517-526.
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