Researcher-teachers demand budget review for research activities
During its latest periodic meeting, the Association of Researcher-Teachers (ACE) presented an alarming assessment of the scientific research situation, highlighting major threats to the sector's future. Several issues were raised during the ACE's periodic meeting.
The first alarm concerns budget collapse. "While development priorities are numerous, financial resources remain derisory. Worse still, the State has cut already insufficient allocations," lamented Rondro Baohanta, ACE president and researcher at the National Centre for Environmental Research (CNRE).
In collaboration with the SECES union, the ACE is actively fighting for budget reevaluation, recalling that developed nations place research at the heart of their growth. The association says it is ready for dialogue with the ministry to reverse the trend.
Beyond finances, professional safety is at stake. Researchers, particularly those in laboratories, face significant daily exposure to biological and chemical risks. Faced with state promises to value the teaching body, the ACE demands concrete action and proposes collaboration to establish genuine worker protection.
Finally, the association strongly contests the ministry's abolition of the "Grand College." This centralized body, composed of rigorously selected experts from the National Research Centers (CNR), guaranteed excellence and impartiality in peer recruitment. Its decentralization to individual centers raises fears of drastically reduced evaluation quality.
With 400 members, the ACE is currently conducting a census to update its numbers and restructure its forces in facing these crucial challenges.