Cheikh Anta Diop University (UCAD) in Senegal has decided to resume in-person classes. The academic council has left it up to individual departments to determine the exact resumption date. However, the issue of reopening the campus, which accommodates approximately 40,000 students, is still unresolved.
“This is excellent news for the student community, considering all the challenges we have faced with distance learning and online classes, and the struggle we have been engaged in for the past four months,” says Baye Niass Ndoye, a governance student and member of the UCAD Student Union, speaking to Léa-Lisa Westerhoff. “The only issue at hand now is that the social campus has not yet decided to reopen its doors. It is inconceivable to resume in-person classes solely on the academic side.”
Both Campuses Must Reopen
Baye Niass Ndoye added that “Both campuses must reopen because many students come from very remote areas, rural communities, and among them, many do not have host families in Dakar. They were accommodated in the social campus. The social campus must reopen its doors because around 30,000 to 40,000 students out of 93,000 reside there. It is unthinkable to resume in-person classes without allowing students access to the social campus.”