XALIMANEWS-to through a series of written questions addressed to the Government of Senegal, posted via its digital platforms, the deputy of the people challenged the authorities on various issues affecting the sectors of education, health, hydraulics, and working conditions in several public institutions. These concerns affect areas as varied as university management, working conditions of public employees, challenges related to water supply, as well as questions of school and health infrastructure.
1-The Assane Seck University of Ziguinchor (UASZ) has been closed for several days. The cause: projects which were to be delivered since 2022 and which were not delivered by the former authorities. The current Minister of Higher Education, Innovation and Research had twice made commitments that students did not see. And there was a lack of communication attributable to the ministry in relation to the achievement of these two commitments. But this can in no way justify the acts of vandalism noted in the UASZ nor the police cars rushing towards the students. The minister and his government colleagues should learn lessons from this episode. When will the UASZ reopen?
2-The Ministry of Tourism is not handling the issue of the King Fahd Palace Hotel as it should. In June 2024, following my written question, the minister said that he was going to invite me to a meeting with his services and those of the Ministry of Finance regarding this hotel and workers arbitrarily kept unemployed. Until the dissolution of the 14th legislature, this meeting did not take place. But that’s not the most important thing. The KFP carried out recruitments. Certain recruited profiles existed among the 76 dismissed workers even though these dismissed workers had priority. The Dakar regional tourism service and the Dakar regional labor inspectorate were to ensure the application of the principle of priority for dismissed workers in the event of hiring. I asked the minister if he had finally found the agreement between the State of Senegal and the Société Hôtelière Africaine (SHA). Finally I asked the minister the following question: when will the agreement between the State of Senegal and the SHA be terminated in accordance with the recommendation of the State General Inspectorate (IGE) in view of the failings of the SHA?
3-When will the University of Sine Saloum El Hadji Ibrahima Niass (USSEIN) open its doors when all the universities have started their academic year? What is happening at USSEIN?
4-There are problems at the License in Nursing and Obstetrics (LSIO) at the Thiès Health UFR. The students are unable to pass the second year while their medical classmates, for example, are in master’s degree.
I submitted several written questions to the Minister of Hydraulics relating to localities whose populations have water problems:
5- to Mof Evvi and Brin (Nyassia district)
6- in Margoune (Bignona)
7- à Bokhol (Dagana)
8- in Boulimangara (Koumpentoum)
9- in Gaynar Mbar (Gossas)
10- in Méréto (Koumpentoum) with the Senegal Water Management Company (SOGES)
11- in Saré Sara (Kolda)
12- to Sam Diébel, Fass Thiékéne…(Koungheul) with Flexeau
13- à Missirah Colonto (Koumpentoum)
14- to a hundred years old where populations are tired of wastewater.
In total therefore ten (10) written questions relating to water problems in eight (08) departments of Senegal.
15- graduates in zootechnics and animal health from the University Sine Saloum El Hadji Ibrahima Niass (USSEIN) cannot work because of Law No. 2008-07 of January 24, 2008 organizing the veterinary profession and pharmacy in Senegal. This law must be reviewed so that the daughters and sons of Senegal are not trained for nothing.
16- the Ministry of the Interior should review the amounts of daily food bonuses (PJA) given to police officers during the last legislative elections because different amounts were given and this creates misunderstandings and even frustrations.
17-I asked the Minister of Health and Social Action how he intended to fill the deficit in pulmonologists in our country.
18- I also questioned the Minister of Health and Social Action on the amount of 10,000 FCFA to be paid to be consulted by a doctor in Koungheul. To be consulted by a doctor you have to pay 10,000 FCFA which also allows you to have medicines available at the health center pharmacy. If you do not have 10,000 FCFA you pay less and you are consulted by a nurse. Is this two-tiered health with one health for those who can afford to pay 10,000 FCFA and another health for those who do not have 10,000 FCFA? 10,000 FCFA to be consulted by a doctor is too expensive for the majority of our fellow citizens in the Koungheul department.
A health mutual owes 13 months of delay to the Koungheul health center and 10 months to the health posts in the Koungheul health district. Consequences: today the Koungheul health center is faced with drug shortages.
In other words, this pricing system, also in force in Sokone, is in fact neither beneficial to the populations nor to the health center.
The X-ray at the Koungheul health center is not functional and there are not enough nurses and midwives.
19- I questioned the Minister of Health about the phenomenon of the use of permanent interns at the Ziguinchor regional hospital. If we want quality health for populations, we must ban this exploitation of workers in hospitals. These workers must be regularized.
20- there are workers at SENELEC in Ziguinchor who have served 10 years with temporary status. It is also exploitation that must be put to an end at SENELEC in Ziguinchor.
21- The Peyrissac high school (Ziguinchor) was established as a high school in 2008 without any support measures. Today it has 28 educational classes for 20 physical classes. This is untenable! Second year classes easily have more than 80 students. All classes have had their schedules reduced so that all classes can operate. A single photocopier for more than 1,500 students. The Peyrissac high school did not have an infirmary or laboratory worthy of the name. There is no enclosure wall.
The situation at the high school worsened with its ransacking and fire a few years ago.
The computer room went up in smoke.
The surveillance staff are permanently outside because they do not have a room and the teachers between two lessons are also under mango trees whose shade disappears at some point during the day. No office is functional. Consequence: the teachers’ room serves as an office for the principal, the censor, the supervisors and the teachers.
The small library was ransacked.
All classes are rotating. Worse, the school administration made a time reduction for each class so that each class could operate.
There is only one toilet for all administrative and teaching staff.
There is nothing in this school that produces results. And yet the students and the administrative and teaching staff manage to achieve results worthy of magic with 47% in the baccalaureate last year.
The actors of the Peyrissac high school feel abandoned since its fire. They seem to be victims of a double punishment: seeing their high school burnt down and being abandoned as if to punish them for a fire for which they were not responsible.
I asked the government to be at the bedside of the Peyrissac high school.
22- to the government I also spoke about the Niodior high school where there is a shortage of French and physics chemistry teachers.
23- I also questioned the government on the situation of the CEM of Médinatoul (Diourbel) where there is also a lack of processors of English, history and geography, SVT and EPS.
24- I also questioned the government of Senegal on the situation of workers of the autonomous road maintenance fund (FERA) of Ndiendieng (Kaolack) without pay for eight (08) months. This was also an opportunity to question the government on the situation of all other FERA workers.
25- I finally sent a written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock on the signing of the agreement between the National Association for the Intensification of Dairy Production in Senegal (ANIPL) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Livestock.
I fully support the government’s policy for dairy sovereignty. This is why I welcome and encourage all actions taken in this direction.
An agreement was signed not long ago between the Minister of Agriculture and ANIPL.
In November 2023, the State of Senegal signed a subsidy agreement amounting to 2.5 billion FCFA for the intensification of local dairy production. The same State of Senegal a year later signed another agreement with the same ANIPL. What explains this? Are there no other associations? Have we audited what the government has provided to ANIPL? What are the results of this audit?
Who are the members of ANIPL? Can the national representation have the list of ANIPL members? Is it true that among these members there are former ministers, businessmen, high-ranking members of the defense and security forces? Are family farms and small farmers taken into account?
Is it true that ministers of the current government – including that of Agriculture – are members of ANIPL? If they are no longer members of ANIPL, when did they resign?
GMS,
