Africa-Press – Gambia. A letter seen by The Standard from the University of The Gambia (UTG) Faculty and Staff Association (UTGFSA) to the Governing Council has threatened industrial action if management went ahead with an alleged plan to procure six new vehicles for senior administrators, valued at approximately D25 million on loan.
The letter addressed to the chairman and vice chairman of the UTG Governing Council, condemned the timing and prioritisation of the purchase, describing it as “ill-timed and insensitive” amid mounting financial and operational challenges facing the national university.
“The University continues to face difficulty in paying monthly salaries without overdraft from the bank. Yet, management is prioritising luxury vehicles,” the association alleged.
The association further decried what it described as “crippling” infrastructure and logistical challenges.
“Lecture halls remain overcrowded, with insufficient chairs, projectors and teaching equipment as laboratories stay under-equipped, undermining the quality of education,” they alleged.
The association said the transport situation too has reached a critical point. “Most utility vehicles at UTG are grounded, and during the Governing Council’s recent visit to the Farafenni campus, the university was forced to borrow a vehicle from the University of Science, Engineering and Technology (USET),” the association said.
“This was an embarrassing moment for an institution that serves as one of the country’s highest seat of learning since 1998,” the association lamented.
The association reminded the Governing Council that a similar controversy in 2017 sparked industrial action when management procured vehicles while the university was in financial distress.
“History is repeating itself. In 2017, staff had no option but to strike when management ignored their plight in favour of administrative luxuries. UTG cannot afford to go down the same path again,” the association warned.
UTGFSA also expressed unease and lack of preparation of management’s plan to fully relocate the university to Faraba by December 2025. They argue that staff and faculty are still unclear about that transition and so far management do not seem to have any plan to that regard adequately, and that pressing logistical and infrastructural challenges at the Faraba campus remain unaddressed.
“To be talking about multi-million dalasi vehicles at this juncture is a gross misplacement of priorities,” the association stressed.
In its appeal, the Association urged the Governing Council to immediately halt any ongoing or planned procurement of the six vehicles, convene an emergency meeting to deliberate on the matter and re-channel resources toward critical needs such as salary arrears, classrooms, teaching materials, laboratories, and transport logistics.
Failure to act, UTGFSA cautioned, could result in staff resorting to industrial action, which would disrupt the academic calendar and potentially bring UTG operations to a standstill.
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