Achieving researcher-teacher status no longer depends on the Grand Collège. The Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research has dissolved this entity. "The independence of each research center must be guaranteed to prevent it from depending on the power of a few individuals. Excessive centralization is likely to increase corruption risks," said a ministry official yesterday to explain the decision. This new measure transfers the examination of applications for researcher-teacher status to each national research center. The Association of Researcher-Teachers (ACE) expressed concerns about this decision during its general assembly on Friday. "If this procedure is decentralized within each research center, can we still ensure recruitment quality under these conditions? How can we avoid potential pressure and non-compliance with procedures in this situation? And the third point, which is also very important, is that when researcher-teacher representatives sat on this Grand Collège, they had renewed legitimacy and freedom to meet to examine files; at individual research centers, can we still benefit from this same representativeness, freedom and renewed legitimacy?" the ACE questioned. The association reaffirms its willingness to collaborate with public authorities for Madagascar's development. "ACE is ready to actively support the supervising ministry in improving higher education and scientific research. We now have new tools and competent human capital, fully mobilized to make this partnership a reality," it stated. Miangaly Ralitera