Scandal in the education sector: thousands of students without valid degrees!

Overall, Senegal has 289 private universities, but most do not meet the necessary regulations, which strongly endangers the credibility of the education system. The responsibility lies with the founders of these institutions as well as the state, which must take care of an adequate supervision and enforcement of the legal provisions. The government has already announced measures to give these institutions a final chance of regularization. However, it is clearly emphasized that a zero tolerance policy will come into force if the conditions are not met.

The situation of the recognized institutions

are entitled to 58 private educational institutions to issue officially recognized diplomas. This approval follows an evaluation process that took place from 2020 to 2023 and in which 78 institutions were involved. Around 77 percent of these institutions received positive reviews, which underlines the efforts of quality in university formation.

Another important point: In order to obtain a recognized conclusion in Senegal, the institution must receive the approval of the ministry and the course of accreditation by the National Agency for Agreditation and Quality Assurance (Anaq Sup) must withstand. So far, 218 out of 279 programs that were presented to the scientific council have been certified and thus fulfill the criteria for official recognition.

prospects and challenges

The Minister Abdourakhman Diouf has highlighted the progress in terms of the quality of education, but also addressed the existing challenges. It is clear that more efforts are necessary to ensure that every student in Senegal has the opportunity to acquire a recognized conclusion that qualifies it for the labor market. In this context, it is also recommended to further strengthen the internal quality assurance agencies in the educational institutions and to provide appropriate budgets.

The current educational landscape in Senegal therefore requires urgent measures. The government has the responsibility to revise and update the rules and regulations that affect the education system in order to restore trust in the recognition of degrees and at the same time protect the students from fraud. Because one thing is certain: education is the key to the future, and these keys must also be able to open the corresponding doors.