The
Vice Chancellor of the University of The Gambia (UTG) has threatened to drag Dr
Ismaila Ceesay, president of the UTG Faculty and Staff Association (UTGFSA), to
court for allegedly defaming him and his senior management.
The
Office of Vice Chancellor issued a statement yesterday saying Dr Ceesay “must
show cause why disciplinary action should not be taken against him by the
University of The Gambia, his employer”.
“The
Vice Chancellor and the UTG reserves the right to sue Ismaila Ceesay for
character assassination and defamation,” the statement said.
The
annoyed Vice Chancellor, Prof. Faqir Anjum, and his senior management are
reacting to a memo issued by the UTGFSA and signed by Dr Ceesay as the
president and Malang Fanneh as the secretary general of the association.
Vice
Chancellor must resign
In
the memo – supposedly agreed to by all the faculty (lecturers), administration
and auxiliary staff of the UTG – the UTGFSA is requesting for “the dissolution
of the Senior Management Team (SMT) and the resignation of the Vice Chancellor,
the two deputy vice chancellors, the University Secretary and the University
Registrar of the University of The Gambia due to incompetence, inefficiency,
and misplaced priorities.”
According
to the association, for the past two years, the SMT, under the leadership of
the vice chancellors Professor Mustapha I.A Khalil and Professor Faqir Anjum,
has failed to create the necessary conditions that will transform the
university into a student-centered and research-led university that is
recognised both locally and globally.
“They
have also failed to demonstrate their commitment to identify and solve the
problems of the University,” the association said.
The
UTGFSA said although most faculty members have been working at the UTG for many
years “without any opportunity for further training to develop themselves”, the
Vice Chancellor and his SMT have failed to identify and solve this capacity
challenge of the university.
They
also blamed the Vice Chancellor and his team for low salaries, saying “at
present, the staff at the University of The Gambia are paid the lowest salaries
in the sub-region”.
According
to UTGFSA, poor facilities is also another bane of the university.
“All
the facilities that should support an effective teaching/ learning/research at
the University of The Gambia are very poor and deplorable,” the association
said. “The sanitary conditions of the
toilets across all campuses at (the ones in Brikama are particularly worst) are
not suitable for human use.”
The
UTG staff said the failure of the Vice Chancellor and the SMT to address the
problems is “a clear indication” that they have failed to carry out the duties
and responsibilities.
The
staff and faculty association said the recent decision of the university
management to purchase vehicles at the value of almost D10 million for “their
personal use” demonstrates “their insensitivity” to the problems and the plight
of faculty and staff of the UTG.
The
UTGFSA said: “In light of the above
failures and mismanagement of the university’s resources, we the University of
The Gambia Faculty and Staff Association (UTGFSA) hereby demand the dissolution
of the SMT; and the resignation of the Vice Chancellor, the two Deputy Vice
Chancellors, the University Registrar and the University Secretary.
“If
the above demands are not met on/before 1st March, 2017, the University of The
Gambia Faculty and Staff Association (UTGFSA) will implement a sit down strike
with effect from the beginning of next semester.
“This
action will involve all Faculty, Admin staff and Auxiliary staff at the different
schools within the university who are members of the UTGFSA.”
Malicious
intent
In
the statement from the Office of the Vice Chancellor, Dr Ceesay is the only one
blamed for the memo of the UTGFSA.
It
states: “Ismaila Cesay has attacked the
Vice Chancellor and the Senior Management Team of the University of The Gambia
with malicious intent and total disregard of facts.
“Mr
Ceesay’s submission on the matter at hand is full of half-truths and outright
lies.”
“This
irresponsible, unprofessional and disrespectful behaviour on his part must stop
immediately.
“The
Vice Chancellor and the Senior Management Team wishes to reaffirm that although
freedom of expression is guaranteed under the Gambian Constitution, there are
no provisions that gave an individual a carte blanche to defame the character
of another person.”
