Editorial: Strike ultimatum; University lecturers should also be realistic.

The resolution, which should go under the skin of a government which is mired in a mountain of national and external debts, was taken at the union's General Assembly that held at the University of Bertoua recently.

A terse statement after the assembly urged all "faculty members at all public universities to halt teaching activities, starting at 7 a.m. on Wednesday October 16, 2024, if the full payment of the research modernisation bonus is not made".

Firmin Moutil, the union's National Secretary for Communication, emphasised that the call for a strike reflects the growing dissatisfaction among university lecturers.

SYNES is particularly critical of the way the government has handled the disbursement of the bonuses. The union expressed regret that while some faculty members have received their payments, others are left waiting with no clear explanation for the delays.

According to Moutil, the issue is not just about the money, but about the lack of communication and transparency. 

“If the delays were just a few days, it wouldn’t be a problem. But it often stretches to three months. How can anyone work under such conditions?” he questioned.

Government, he said, needs to understand that deadlines matter and professors have financial obligations, and when the bonuses don't come on time, it creates chaos in their lives.

He explained further that they have long been protesting government's failure to pay their quarterly bonus on time. 

"Some lecturers received their payments, while others were left waiting. If this delay were just a few days, it wouldn’t be a problem. But it often stretches to three months. How can anyone work under such conditions?" Moutil questioned.

Beyond the late payments, the union also disagreed with the partial disbursements made without explanation. 

Moreover, SYNES pointed out that several lecturers have yet to receive their second installment, which was supposed to have been paid by June 30, 2024.

He added that the union's Executive Bureau had started compiling a list of those who have not received their payments.

However, concurrent media reports cited a source close to one of the Rectors’ office with a different narrative.

The source pointed out that the union was overreacting because despite delays, the government has always eventually paid the full bonus.

The union, nonetheless, insists that "the issue is the repeated failure to meet deadlines".

But do they need a strike, which will affect the education of innocent students to resolve the issue of late payments?

At The Guardian Post, we recognise the difficulties the lecturers go through when their bonuses are not paid as and when due. Even when they are paid, what research publications do many of them show to justify what they get from the government?

Do many of them not just summarise the work of others, make photocopies and impose on students at exorbitant costs? Have there not been cases where they award certificates not on merit, but by what is scandalously known as "sexually moderated marks"?

Has there not been a case where a top administrator was reported to have attended lectures just once and was awarded a terminal degree?

With that cacophony in the university milieu, was it surprising that out of 200 Ivy League universities in Africa this year as classified by UniRank, not even one from Cameroon made the mark?

The Guardian Post is not holding briefs for the government, which is financially in dire strait to the point it has started taxing pensioners. But lecturers should understand that they are also stakeholders in the education sector and do not need to make their demands by dangling strike action, which, if carried out, would be more damaging to students than the government.

The union should learn to dialogue with the government and a strike should be the last option. 

On its part, the government should be transparent in making payments, rather than paying some lecturers and leaving others as the union is claiming.

There is no question that the standards of university education in Cameroon lags behind when compared to other African countries. The government should ensure academic freedom, collaborate and dialogue with unions to ensure that universities produce original research projects that solve the problems of the society and are marketable, and not just on payment issues with a pendulum of strikes.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3253 of Tuesday October 08, 2024