Education
As FG, ASUU Reach Agreement
It was indeed a cheering news for students of public universities and their parents across the country as Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) announced the suspension of the eight-week strike it embarked upon.
It was also a big relief to students and other stakeholders who expressed so much worry over the strike which disrupted academic activities from December 4, 2011.
But the good thing is that the federal government shifted grounds and ASUU showed patriotism.
We have seen that it was for the interest of the students and geared towards the transformation agenda of the federal government in the education sector.
The National Assembly, Federal Government, ASUU and other stakeholders reached agreement on ways of implementing the 2009 FG/ASUU issues, bearing in mind that the importance of education in nation building cannot be over-emphasized.
Therefore, with the federal government’s acceptance to steadily implement some of the issues raised by ASUU in the 2009 agreement, the union said it would give peace a chance.
The National President of ASUU, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie, who announced the suspension last Wednesday, told journalists that the decision was in the interest of the revitalization of Nigerian universities.
Prof. Awuzie however, said that ASUU in an emergency meeting of National Executive Council (NEC) decided that it would give government the benefit of doubt.
According to him, “ASUU NEC, after collective talks with members across the country, and having deliberated extensively resolved to suspend the stake with effect from Thursday, the 2nd, 2012.
Some of the issues deliberated upon focused on funding requirements for revitalizing the universalities, academic allowances and amendment of pension/retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 years.
Earlier, the National Assembly had passed a bill on the retirement age of professors from 65 to 70 years, which is one of the demands by ASUU.
The bill also provided registrars, librarians, and professors of tertiary institutions the opportunity of holding office for five (5) years with extension of one (1) year if the need arises.
Prof. Awuzie said government has also accepted the principle for the progressive increase of annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent from 2009 to 2020.
He said government would immediately stimulate the process with the sum of N100 billion and would build it up to a yearly sum of N400 billion in the next three years.
And to ensure effective overall monitoring of the implementation of the FG/ASUU agreement, government he said, would meet with the expanded implementation monitoring committee on quarterly basis to assess progress.
The ASUU National president insisted that the implementation monitoring committee would be expanded to include one representative of the ministry of finance, national planning and budget office.
He noted that ASUU would re-negotiate agreements which would be due for review in June, 2012.
Some of the conditions he listed that must be met by the Federal Government within the specific time frame include; funding environment for the revitalization of the universities, increase budgetary allocation to education from 2013 to 2020.
According to him, government should re-instate the governing councils of various universities on or before February 12, 2012.
“Yes, they have told us they are going to do this, yes they have given us assurances that they are going to try to implement that, yes they have told us that even the bill will be passed by the National Assembly.
“All these are indications that they appreciate that we are not crying wolf, we are really talking about something that is important,’ he maintained.
Prof. Awuzie commended all stakeholders for their cooperation and understanding during the strike.
On the part of federal government, the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Rufa’i, said government would continue to improve funding in the university system to create conducive environment for learning.
“If we look beyond the budget, there are other interventions that are coming into the sector and that are really making a mark throughout the sector.
“For example, if we look at the issue of funding the universities alone in 2012, we are expecting about N50 billion apart from the N400 billion for the sector and to note that N200 billion out of N400 billion is going to the universities, by the time we raise about N200 billion and add up to the budgetary provision of N200 billion, well of course we already have N300 billion,” she explained.
Prof. Rufa’i promised that Federal Government would continue to do such through the years up to the level of agreement it has with ASUU.
Her words: “But we sincerely appreciate the understanding in terms of all these discussions that we did.”
On the part of ASUU, it is expected that Federal Government fulfils its obligation in the area of funding and other issues.
Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie expressed: “We are all thinking about our nation, we are thinking about our children, we are looking for the best for them.”
The National President of National Union of Rivers State Students (NURSS), Warmate Awoloye, noted that students must not go on a protect before education sector could be funded.
A student of Urban and Regional Planning at the Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), Roy Abah, said he thanked God that they have called off the strike.
In his own view, A civil servant at the Federal Secretariat, in Port Harcourt, Mr. George Effiong said there is the need for government to review the lecturers salaries, maintain the existing universities and other issues which they have failed to implement over the years.
He advised federal government to take education serious in Nigeria stressing that any society that does not recognize its importance would definitely not experience any growth and development.
He noted that it is great that FG/ASUU have come to a compromise and now students would go back to school.
A Mass Communication student, Miss Stephanie Aaron, said students are appealing to their lecturers to accept the offers made by the federal government and imagined the man hour and material resources lost during the strike.
Expressing her view on the development, Food Technology student of Federal Polytechnic, Nekede, Tolu Adebayo, insisted that strike disrupts academic sessions and would lead to extension of the academic calendar.
She said she has not been doing anything at home and maintained that she wants to go back to school.
Members of ASSU are confident that the agreement reached with Federal Government would work due to the increase in budgetary allocation to education.
But a 300-level Estate Management student, Charles Batubo, believed that another strike is imminent as he doubts the commitment of the Federal Government.
“Not that you tell them to go and after few months nothing has been done and they would go on strike again,” he expressed.
For greater number of the universities, it is a new session otherwise more students would have been seen on campuses.
Since it was not a mid semester, students are not in the halls of residence and for those fresh students whose timetable were ready before the strike, it is believed that the authorities concerned would adjust the academic calendar and draw up the timetable for lecturers to start work.
Bringing lecturers and students back to school by the Federal Government is a step in the right direction and a sign of better things to come.
It was fun anyway, none of the parties lost out, but all the same, the joy of every student is to always be in class and come out in flying colours, so as to be able to contribute to the society.
With this development, normal academic life would soon take shape in Nigerian universities.
Eunice Choko-Kayode
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