By Tabora Bojang
The Standard is privy to a communiqué from the Ministry of Higher Education. Research, Science and Technology informing the University of The Gambia’s Governing Council that the chancellor, President Adama Barrow has directed that the ongoing recruitment process for a new vice chancellor be temporarily paused pending the outcome of the cabinet sub-committee’s review and recommendations.
The first term of the current Vice Chancellor Professor Herbert Robinson ends soon and the university’s governing council began recruitment for his replacement since March 2026.
Applications closed since July with over 25 applications reportedly received from proficient candidates including Gambian and international professors.
But, the ministry has written to the governing council around end of July, informing them of the president’s decision to temporarily halt the recruitment process to allow the cabinet sub-committee on the UTG administration to “continue and conclude” its work as its findings may “provide important guidance” for the UTG’s leadership arrangements.
The ministry stated that the requested pause is “intended to promote coordination and enable all relevant considerations to be taken into account before the recruitment proceeds further.
However, the UTG Staff and Faculty Association, did not support the directive to halt the recruitment process. In an initial letter addressed to President Barrow, the association, expressed “serious concerns” that a prolonged suspension of the recruitment process beyond September 2026 could have unintended consequences for the peace and tranquillity of the university.
The association stressed that there is a “significant dissatisfaction” among sections of the staff regarding the current leadership and governance of the university and there is a “growing expectation” among staff for a new leadership and a new direction.
“Our position is therefore that the established recruitment process should be allowed to proceed in order to provide the UTG with an opportunity to appoint a substantive vice-chancellor on or before end of November 2026 through a transparent and competitive process, a process that has already started,” the staff wrote to the president.
They warned that if the current situation continues without a clear resolution, they may be requested to convene an extraordinary congress and may proceed with the binding decision of the general assembly. “We are concerned that such a development could further heighten tensions at a time when the UTG requires peace, stability and cooperation,” they averred.
The association said there was no response to the letter prompting them to write a follow-up letter to the president in September to which the presidency provided a response that the ongoing cabinet sub-committee mediation process will now be coordinated by the vice president.
Professor Robinson was appointed in 2021.
