The Court of Auditors published this Tuesday, November 12, a report on higher education and research in Overseas Territories. In its section devoted to the University of the West Indies, the report is without concessions. It highlights numerous shortcomings and weaknesses in terms of training provision, research and the university's financial management.
The words are harsh for the University of the Antilles, in the report published this Tuesday, November 12 by the Court of Auditors on higher education and research in Overseas Territories. All territories are subject to a differentiated and detailed publication. In the part on the Antilles, the Court scrutinizes the training offer, research and of course the management and organization of the university. And the results are very critical.
The report thus points out “a complete training offer but suffering from a deficit in attractiveness, management and performance”. The offer is very general with reduced success rates and the maintenance of unattractive training. The report also notes a gap between the ambitions displayed for international actions and the potential for cooperation at the Caribbean level. Especially since the University of the West Indies with its five campuses in the Caribbean is well ranked globally, which is not the case for the University of the West Indies which only appears in the Shanghai ranking in the subject ecology in 2023 and 2024, thanks in particular to the publications of UMR Boréa (Biology of Aquatic Organisms and Ecosystems). The Court also notes that the research is poorly visible and lacks perspective.
Another important point of the report, the management of the University which has many weaknesses and which must be strengthened. In this chapter the distribution of credits and jobs between the centers of Guadeloupe and Martinique is called into question. The lack of transparency is also highlighted. The numerous deficiencies and inaccuracies in the financial documentation reflect a weakness of the financial tool and affect the quality of the accounts. Some methods are considered illegal, such as a budget reserved for the President.
A part of the budget (2%), or around €100,000 per year, is reserved for the president, without a discussion on its use taking place, during the examination of the budget or the financial account. This envelope would be used to finance the president's priority projects. The university is committed to having this provision repealed during the 2023-2024 academic year.
Extract from the report of the Court of Auditors on the AU
In terms of reactions, in Guadeloupe, President Michel Geoffroy takes note of this report which he considers “lucid” on the situation of the University. For him, the report is a kind of audit which denounces the weaknesses but also notes the improvements after 9 years of crisis at the University.
Michel Geoffroy, President of the University of the Antilles
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©Ronhy Malety – Guadeloupe la 1ère
For the student representative, elected to the Board of Directors, Allan Colonnette, much progress remains to be made, in particular for the STAPS sector on the Fouillole campus, in Guadeloupe.
Allan Colonnette, student representative elected to the CA
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©Ronhy Malety – Guadeloupe la 1ère
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