The HAT outrun by social demands, and universities adding up to them

As a consequence to its constant propaganda on the State’s good economic health allegedly based on sufficient home taxes, the transitional government has lost its credit which, so far, used to grant it some reprieve. Professors and students are simply about to engage the struggle with the ministry in charge of superior education. In the opposite corner, the empowered regime is reiterating the same old excuse: the moment is transitional, and not suitable for all claims. Growing social tensions are revealing more and more State weaknesses.  

The professors’ trade union or SECES is back in action following some pull back in February. The academic year was supposed to restart on February 01st, 2010, but did not. Some completed courses did serve as a cover up for the time bomb. There has been ups and downs in their claims’ first phase. On February 20th, the ministry announced that the research allowances promised since October 2009 would be in February’s pay check.   

The lull did not last that long. The promise has effectively been held, with some nasty surprise from the ministry: due amounts has been reduced to only 300 000 ariary per month instead of the legally pledged 800 000 ariary. To this end, another decree cancelling that of October 2009 has been produced. The HAT minister in charge of superior education argued that money was not definitely denied, but rather scarce in the present situation. The SECES voted the strike as a response. The pro-HAT professors denounced “the blockade decided by about one hundred voters for one thousand teachers “. This grouping of professors “committed for development” is meaning to kill the reactionary movement. The SECES alleged political inclination supposedly proved by its claims laid in difficult times is being denounced. The political phrase is close to the number one in the box office.  

Students also decided to get in the party with their claims: a 100% increase of scholarships, or respectively 40 000 ariary for the first level, and 80 000 ariary for the second level postgraduates. Students’ associations also ask for an increase of the sums dedicated to equipment, and a 200 000 ariary high support for final graduation dissertations. These claims were meant to be unveiled to the HAT leader himself, but the Students’ Circle’s site’s inauguration ceremony has been postponed because Andry Rajoelina preferred the inauguration the Rabemananjara stadium’s tier in Mahajanga.  

These coordinated sets of claims from professors and students are seriously challenging the ministry’s financial capacities. The SECES keeps holding on, arguing that its due money had been diverted for various other state uses. Students are expecting nothing less but a total reshuffle of the financial law. Since more than a decade, the scholarship related issue has been compelling successive superior education ministries to connect the academic and the civil year. Choosing March instead of January to start the academic year used to be related to financial capacities significantly stretched by January.  This time around, HAT minister Tongavelo tried to make better by choosing February, with actually very little success so far.