The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST) chapter, Port Harcourt, has said that total implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement would restore stable and sustainable education in the state-owned university.

Chairman of ASUU in the University Dr Felix Igwe who stated this in an exclusive with The Tide in Port Harcourt over the weekend explained that the extension of retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 by the National Assembly has only addressed small part of the several problems in the university system which the agreement meant to tackle.

Dr Igwe’s reaction on the state of affairs on the nation’s university system is coming on the heels of the declaration of the President of the union, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie that the union insists on total implementation of the agreement inspite of the passage of the bill by the National Assembly extending the retirement age of professors.

The RSUST ASUU boss however described the passage of the bill as a welcomed development and appealed to the state government to adopt it including other provisions of the 2009 agreement to ensure stable and sustainable University education in the state owned universities.

He expressed dissatisfaction over the inability of the governing council/administration of the RSUST and the state government to fulfil the terms of the agreement signed with the union on February 4, 2011 for the implementation of the 2009 FGN/ASUU agreement in the university.

Meanwhile, the president of Academic Staff Union of Universities, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie has said that the union was still not satisfied with the federal government inspite of the passage of a bill by the National Assembly extending retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 years.

Prof. Awuzie told newsmen in Lagos that the union was insisting on the total implementation of the agreement to avoid any form of breakdown in the education sector.

“Information made available to us from the National Assembly has it that it had just passed the bill of retirement age for lecturers in the professional cadre.”

“I think by this action, government has just started. It is just scratching the surface of the issue and this to a large extent does not show any form of seriousness in taking the sector to its premier position,” he said.

Awuzie said that the passage of just the retirement age of professors bill alone, coupled with the low amount allocated for education in the 2011 budget showed that the repositioning of the sector was going to take some time to achieve.

He said governments must be alive to their responsibilities in tackling challenges in the sector holistically, if they desired to rank among the world best economies.

According to Awuzie, the implementation of these provisions is crucial for the ability of the universities to survive and realize the goal of the agreement to reposition the universities in an effort to meet international standards.

Isaac Nwankwo