The government of The Gambia should have prioritized funding the public University of The Gambia rather than providing loans to parliamentarians and private media businesses. This would have enabled poor students who cannot afford tuition increases to benefit.
Gambians often favor comforting narratives over harsh truths. Following my article on the funding of Gambia’s sole public university amidst proposals by the governing council to hike tuition fees, many have parroted UTG’s official line without deep analysis. A colleague of mine once remarked that stupidity is repeating the same actions and expecting different results. The UTG has faced challenges for years, and despite efforts to redefine itself in recent times, it seems to be stuck in a cycle of reinventing the wheel, especially when the current university system’s challenges demand more innovative solutions than just raising tuition fees, a practice that has been in place since 2015 and is becoming increasingly unproductive, if not detrimental
Over the past 15 years, numerous issues have arisen, so many that it’s difficult to keep track. Many who attended UTG during this time can attest to being significantly impacted by at least one issue. Despite this, universities’ core problems—substandard instruction, research, supervision, mentorship, ethical breaches, sexual harassment, exploitation of students, and a lack of intellectual vitality—have persisted. Academic standards have plummeted, even as more funds have been allocated to university infrastructure, and the salaries and allowances of lecturers and non-academic staff have increased. Gambian academics have become less competitive internationally, and their graduates, despite an increase in first-class degrees, are receiving an education that falls short of expectations.
The negative correlation between underfunding and declining standards is concerning but not unexpected. While UTG has struggled to secure more government investment in infrastructure and compensation, it has not demanded accountability from itself or its members. Even as the government and other agencies began funding higher education, lecturers remained unaccountable, leading to stagnation or even regression in their professional development. They were not required to contribute or enhance their attitudes, mindsets, or job approaches in exchange for the benefits they gained from their advocacy. Consequently, inadequate teaching persisted; lecturers continued to miss classes despite improved financial conditions, and some engaged in profit-driven and career-oriented activities outside the university. Inadequate supervision and mentorship of postgraduate students continued; lecturers taught from outdated notes dating back to the 1970s; and there was a lack of quality research publications, with some lecturers manipulating new publication metrics.
These developments occurred against the backdrop of significantly improved conditions, which could be seen as the University of The Gambia’s (UTG) prior achievements. Ironically, this success has resulted in an overemphasis on the mistaken belief that the challenges of university education in The Gambia are primarily about infrastructure funding, and enhancements to salaries and allowances. This focus has led to the neglect of critical issues that directly impact academic standards, contributing to the decline in the quality of graduates. As someone who regularly receives communications and work from first-class degree holders and academics, I can attest that their output is often poorly conceived, riddled with errors, inadequately researched, and badly written.
Today, discussions about a Vice Chancellor’s (VC) successful tenure often focus on the number of physical structures built during their term, rather than their contributions to enhancing research quality and output, raising teaching standards, fostering an ethical intellectual culture, or nurturing internationally competitive, self-driven, and intellectually curious graduates.
Herein lies the problem. The University of The Gambia’s (UTG) perceived success has paradoxically snuffed out the remnants of its research culture and the spirit of critical inquiry. Despite substantial research funds at UTG, these remain largely untapped. This irony merits reflection: UTG publicly seeks “better funding,” yet lecturers report a lack of applications for the available research money, established in part due to consistent demands for more funding. Gambian scholars are aware of this fund, but there is little initiative in developing compelling research proposals and pursuing the rigorous research agenda that these research awards necessitate. This is partly because the UTG system does not incentivize innovative research. Academics are content with writing mediocre, derivative papers that are sufficient for promotion but lack genuine research, enabling them to forge “successful” academic careers and rise to professorship without securing research grants or conducting significant, original research.
The research culture at the University of The Gambia has stagnated, and this is not due to a lack of funding. Agreements do not mandate lecturers to meet stringent research or teaching criteria for advancement, and their remuneration is not linked to their effectiveness in teaching or research, but rather to a deficiency in government support. Consequently, despite its initial efforts to enhance university education in The Gambia, UTG has inadvertently become a supporter and enabler of substandard practices within the University of The Gambia system, contributing to the very issues it once sought to resolve.
