ASUU Strike: Parents Plead FG To Comply With Lecturers Demands Parents whose children are affected as they begged the government to reach a compromise with ASUU.. It’s been two months since the Academic StaffUnion of Universities embarked on a nationwide indefinite strike. This was as a result of the inability of the Federal Government to implement some of the issues contained in a 2009 agreement it had with ASUU. Government not feeling the strike because their children are in private universities— Ohwaguono Onos Mr. Ohwaguono Onos, a parent and a post graduatestudentof University of Lagos( UNILAG), who was affected by the strike has this to say. “The ASUU strike has made my children shift focus to other things that arecosting me additionalfundsI didn’t budget for. And parents who cannot engage their wards in these suffer distress and heart-aches becauseof the nuisance the students constitute at home. One thing I have learnt is that after each episode of strike, the students are no more focused even when they resume lectures because they have been out for so long. ASUUwent on strike because they want the government to come to their plight and help them. “If the Senators can have sitting and sleeping allowances, then the builders of these charactersshould be considered; they are the lecturers. My only pain is that these ones in government are not feeling it because their own children are not in the Federal and State universities. Their children are abroad schooling, their children are in private universities. Most of the people in sensitive government positionsare the owners of most private Universities which are funded by our own money. How can the strike affect the government? Our plea is for the government to listen to the masses, listen to ASUU and help them; that way they are helping usand saving the future. Federal government should meet the demands of the lecturers —Oluranti Olushola Mrs Oluranti Olushola, a teacher who said her sonwas affected by the strike pleaded that the Federal Government should help them so their children can go back to school. “I am seriously appealing to the Federal Government, on behalf of Nigerian parents, toend the strike and make education a top priority and also save the education sector from imminent collapse.” She noted that the government voluntarily entered into an agreement withthe union in 2009 to fund universities better and meet some other demands of the union. “The Federal Government must at all costs meet thedemands of the union to save the future of our children,” she said. Government should avoid workers’ strike —Mrs Ruquiyat Adebayo Another teacher, Mrs Ruquiyat Adebayo disclosedthat that ASUU’s demands were genuine. She urged the government to make any sacrifice to improve the education sector. Mrs Adebayo also advised the government to avoid workers’ strike by meeting their demands early.“ASUU is not asking for too much. It’s demands are justified. We havethe resources in this country, and we must set our priorities right. Education must come first in allour plans.“Whateverit will take, Nigeria must improve the welfare of the University teachers,” she said. Government should resolve the conflict with ASUU—Moturayo Madandola Mrs Moturayo Madandola whose child was affected by the strike said government shouldresolve the conflict with ASUU quickly to save theUniversity system from collapse. “The Federal Government should accede to the demands of the striking union so that our children can go back to school,” she said Government should be considerate —Malik Alabi Malik Alabi, a businessman expressed his feelings with anger saying, “don’t mind those people in government , all their children are schooling abroad. How would they rememberus? They only plan to travel to Dubai for vacation, travel out of the country for medical check up, send their children to Harvard and all the good schools abroad. These people should also consider the parents who suffer to pay school fees for our children . I have two children at OAU and they are both at home doing nothing and it pains me a lot . Myonly plea is that Federal Government shouldhelp us because the parents are the ones suffering it more”. Four -year course is running six years because of the strike–Deaconess Joy Osewengie Deaconess Mrs. Joy Osewengie, a mother of two students in the University of Benin (UNIBEN) expressed her concern saying, “The ASUU strike has turned into something else; my children are notdoing anything at home. Courses that are supposed to run for four years are now runningsix years and above. When will the children finish their programmes in the Universities and become very useful to their family and the society? “The government should know that an idle mind is the devil’s workshop. We should bear in mind that these ones are the future of this great nationand if they are half baked because of strike and crisis,then we may end upwith a very sick nation.”
Posted on: Sun, 01 Sep 2013 20:31:27 +0000
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