President Jonathan Meets Ministry Officials, NCCE, NBTE Over ASUP COEASU Strike. *President gives Finance, Education Ministers matching orders to set a payment schedule for arrears owed Polytechnics and Colleges of Education Staff. President Goodluck Jonathan on Monday presided over the first meeting to fashion out ways to finally resolve Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, and the Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union, COEASU. The closed-door meeting which lasted for over one hour on Monday held at the Presidential Villa. Scan News gathered that the meeting which was chaired by President Goodluck Jonathan, was attended by Supervising Minister of Education, Barr. Nyesom Wike, Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Education, directors of the Federal Ministry of Education, the Executive Secretary of the National Commission of Colleges of Education, NCCE, and the Executive Secretary of the National Board of Technical Education. It was gathered by the Scan News correspondent that monitored the meeting that the officials of ASUP and COEASU were not at the meeting as it was purely an admiinistrative meeting to fashion out payment modalities and ways of re-opening the Federal Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. Also in attendance at the meeting were officials of the Federal Ministry of Finance who laid before the President and the Ministry of Education sources of funding the over N40billion owed staff of the Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. After the close of the meeting the Supervising Minister of Education and officials of the Ministry left the villa in the evening for another meeting with chairmen of the Governing Councils of Federal Polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education. The Minister could not brief waiting journalists before leaving the villa. However, a director of the Federal Ministry of Education who pleaded anonymity told journalists at the villa that President Jonathan has directed the Ministers of Finance and Education to work hard in the next few days to work out a realistic payment schedule for all staff of the Federal Polytechnics and Federal Colleges of Education. He further stated that the President gave the Supervising Minister of Education the marching order to ensure the report of the Needs Assessment Committees of Polytechnics and Colleges of Education are submitted in the course of the next two weeks for immediate action on the rehabilitation of the schools. The director added that the President asked the Supervising Minister of Education to work alongside the Head of Service of the Federation to expedite action on the removal of the disparity between Polytechnic and University Graduates. It was learnt that an expanded meeting to involve the ASUP, COEASU and Governing council chairmen of Federal Polytechnics with President Jonathan will hold between next weekend and Tuesday next week. Presidency sources said that several leaders have been asked to meet ASUP and COEASU leaders to reach the desired consensus before they meet President Jonathan. Daily Trust.
Posted on: Mon, 31 Mar 2014 20:18:56 +0000
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