Gambiaj.com – (BANJUL, THE GAMBIA) – Staff at the University of Applied Science, Engineering and Technology (USET) have threatened an indefinite withdrawal of services across the institution’s campuses, warning that persistent salary delays and a funding crisis are putting the university’s future at risk.
In a position paper presented in Kanifing, on the institution’s ground, the USET Staff Association declared what it described as an institutional emergency, accusing the government of failing to increase funding in line with the university’s expansion. The association said it would shut down operations across the university’s centers if its demands were not met within 14 business days.
“Our premier technical university is on the brink of total collapse,” the association said, pointing to what it described as stagnant government funding despite the institution’s transformation from the Gambia Technical Training Institute into a university serving students across the country.
The dispute highlights the financial pressures facing an institution expected to provide specialized technical and engineering training while maintaining expensive workshops, laboratories and production facilities.
Expansion Without Matching Funding
Speaking on behalf of the association, Secretary General Demba Bah said the university had expanded from a single institution into a network of four regional centers in Ndemban, Kanilai, Julangel and Wasu, without a corresponding increase in government subvention.
The association argued that the expansion had stretched the university’s available resources, making it increasingly difficult to meet its financial obligations while sustaining its academic and technical operations.
It also raised concerns about the shortage of trained personnel needed to operate and maintain production machinery that could otherwise help the university generate revenue internally.
For the staff, the problem goes beyond administrative inconvenience. They say inadequate funding is affecting their livelihoods, welfare and the institution’s ability to fulfill its mandate as a public technical university.
Salary Delays And Unpaid Contributions
The association said staff had endured repeated salary delays over several years, while statutory deductions, social security contributions and monthly payments to the Gambia Teachers Union Credit Union (GTUCCU) had allegedly not been remitted consistently.
“Staff have gone months without getting salaries on time for many years now and yet being patient,” the association said, describing the situation as unacceptable.
The alleged failure to remit deductions has added another layer to the dispute, as workers demand accountability for money withheld from their earnings and the settlement of outstanding benefits, overtime payments and welfare dues.
President of the Staff Association Lallo Kanteh also highlighted changes to staff benefits, saying employees who previously enjoyed free tuition for further studies must now pay 50 per cent of their tuition fees.
The association wants full tuition waivers restored for staff pursuing courses at USET and other universities in The Gambia, arguing that opportunities for further education and professional development should remain part of the institution’s staff welfare arrangements.
A Seven-Day Bailout Demand
At the center of the association’s demands is an emergency financial bailout within seven days to clear outstanding staff benefits, overtime payments, social security contributions and welfare dues.
It is also calling for a government guarantee of timely salary payments and for the state to assume responsibility for paying the university’s staff.
The association has urged management to suspend planned recruitment as a cost-cutting measure, restore fuel coupons or allowances provided for under the relevant policy document, and review the composition of the university’s contracts committee.
It has also demanded training for employees responsible for operating and maintaining production machinery, linking staff development to the university’s ability to use its technical facilities more effectively and generate additional income.
The proposed measures reflect the association’s argument that the university needs both immediate financial relief and changes to the way its resources are managed.
Questions Over Financial Accountability
Beyond salaries and benefits, the association has called for a financial audit of projects and contracts undertaken over the past five years.
The demand introduces questions about how the university’s resources have been allocated and whether existing expenditure can be reviewed to ease the institution’s financial pressures.
The association has not presented the audit demand as a substitute for increased government funding. Rather, its position paper calls for greater financial scrutiny alongside an emergency injection of funds and more predictable support from the state.
For an institution operating specialized technical facilities, the challenge is not limited to meeting monthly payroll obligations. Maintaining equipment, recruiting qualified personnel and supporting practical training all require sustained investment.
A Warning With Wider Consequences
For the long term, the association has proposed legislation requiring dedicated funding before public universities are allowed to establish new campuses. It has also advocated public-private partnerships to commercialize USET’s technical workshops and create additional sources of revenue.
Such measures, it argues, could help prevent institutions from expanding their responsibilities without securing the resources needed to sustain them.
But the immediate dispute remains unresolved in the position paper, with staff warning that they will not continue working under the current conditions indefinitely.
“We will not work for free, and we will not allow our institution’s name to be used to mask undisputed realities,” the association declared.
Its 14-business-day deadline sets the stage for a potential nationwide disruption if the demands are not addressed. A shutdown would place pressure on an institution whose work extends beyond conventional classroom teaching to include technical training, engineering practice and the maintenance of specialized facilities.
The coming days will therefore test whether the government and university management can find a financial response that addresses the staff’s grievances while securing the continuity of USET’s academic and technical operations.
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