Facing a shortage of teaching researchers and research teachers, SECES is demanding that 300 of the 1,000 available budget posts for 2026 be allocated to higher education and scientific research. The Union of Teaching Researchers and Research Teachers of Higher Education in Madagascar (SECES) is sounding the alarm about the need to strengthen staffing in the sector. In a statement issued last Friday, SECES believes that of the 1,000 budget posts available for the entire civil service in 2026, 300 should go to public universities. An allocation deemed necessary to address the personnel deficit affecting several fields. According to the union, some programs currently have very few teaching researchers and research teachers, risking the continuity of training. Also, according to SECES, resorting to "digital replacement" could help absorb some of the pressure. However, this cannot permanently replace the presence of qualified teachers and researchers.

Urgent

For the union, strengthening staffing must go hand in hand with system overhaul. To do this, according to them, there should be a cleanup within their ranks. The goal is to restore full standing and "nobility" to Madagascar's higher education and scientific research. SECES thus proposes establishing a task force dedicated to this cause. One might think that the missions entrusted to this entity would be to identify real needs, assess staffing levels, and strengthen personnel quality. "An approach that would prevent recruitment from being reduced to a simple accounting operation," the union emphasizes. Taking the opportunity, it stated it also expects progress on payment of supplementary hours and temporary work, research and investigation allowances, and reclassification in the sector. It finally calls for the publication of health facilities authorized to care for civil servants in the regions.