Still on unending FG AND ASUU imbroglio. SEPTEMBER 10, 2013 0 By Sampson Ikemitang. The current face off between Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities over alleged lack of facilities in the University system has become a thing of great concern to both parents and the undergraduates. As of Tuesday, September 10, 2013; it will be exactly six weeks since the University lecturers down tools as a way of getting government’s attention to the problem, but the crisis seems deepened with no solution in sight as ASUU remains adamant, unequivocal and bitter. Even though it is on record that the Federal Government has on its part, granted appreciable concessions to resolve the lingering strike, ASUU could not be pacified given its reasons that the concessions so far, were mere palliatives, as the issues, ASUU said has been allowed to fester, especially those which had to do with the negotiated agreement of 2009. Comrade Yinka Gbadebo, the President of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS), observed that “The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has in 13 years proceeded on strike 30 times.” If this staggering statistics by the Students’ leader is anything to go by, then the current trends in our educational system, where academic activities are paralyzed every now and then, cannot only be described as worrisome but unfortunate. This has seriously undermined the development of our human capital. Consequent upon the above analysis, the nation’s frantic developmental agenda of having literate citizenry, as encapsulated in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) document by 2020, is unfortunately bogged down, thereby lowering the Country’s literacy index in the comity of nations. It is mind-boggling to reiterate that none of the nation’s Universities ranks among the first 100 in the world. This indeed, is sad, pathetic and heart- rending. Time was, when Nigerian Universities, for instance, the University of Ibadan – the prestigious College could compete favourably with their counterparts anywhere in the world. Unfortunately, we did not sustain the trend and the glory days are gone! Rather than murmuring, trading blames and biting our fingers in regret, we should quickly put our act together, retrace our steps and return to our glory days. Time was when Nigerian educational certificates were recognized, respected and celebrated across the continents. Today, the reverse is the case. Our young graduates are simply described as “half-baked” as a result, not employable. This does not speak well of an acclaimed giant of Africa. In fact, the trend must not be allowed to continue. It is an unspeakable insult to the University community in particular and the nation at large. Therefore, let us do everything humanly possible to exit this ignoble position. However, the University teachers are quick to ascribe our failure to rank among the first 100 universities in the world to poor Government funding, inadequate infrastructural development and complete lack of environment conducive to learning. Consequent upon this, they have thrown away the baby with the bathwater. But the lecturers have also failed to include incessant strikes by its Union and their inability to conduct research, teach their students, the latest that is available in the world of knowledge, as part of the cumulative reasons for this abysmal status of our Universities. Whether they (Lecturers) say it or not, we all know that the cumulative period of study by undergraduates in every academic calendar is far less than they spent at home owing to strikes. This is a clear demonstration of academics living in ivory towers but detached from the realities on ground. It is a well-known fact that because of developments in the field of medicine, a drug that cured malaria, for instance, a decade ago can prove ineffective today. Similarly, lecturers tend to use handouts that were prepared two or more decades ago to teach undergraduates in the 21st century! It is needless to say that such obsolete handouts which are devoid of latest developments cannot impact much on the undergraduates. The effect is that graduates are turned out mentally malnourished with little or no mental prowess to perform. President Goodluck Jonathan is aware of the decades of rots in the educational sector. He’s not unaware of the fact that no country develops without a sound educational system. That is why education is one of the key components of his transformation agenda. He knows also that University provides manpower for other levels of education. It is in view of this that Federal Government set up a 22-member committee on the Needs Assessment of Nigerian Universities, headed by Benue State Governor, Mr. Gabriel Suswam. It is important to note that the committee was set up in line with the agreement reached between the Federal Government, Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), Non–Academic Staff Union and other Stakeholders in the nation’s education sector. Most importantly, the Committee was set up in furtherance of Government’s desire to revitalize the Nigerian tertiary Institutions for a robust and healthy development of education. As a demonstration of clear commitment to revitalizing the University system, Federal Government has released N130 Billion to Universities’ Councils in order to persuade the striking lecturers to return to classroom. In spite of this noble effort by the Government, ASUU has remained unyielding. Well, when a creditor is on the neck of his debtor over a debt of any amount, and he (debtor) is able to raise a substantial amount, but the creditor remains adamant, unyielding and stubborn, insisting on all or nothing, it is common sense that he (creditor) has hidden agenda. ASUU’s refusal of Government’s offer, insisting on all or nothing has made commentators to conclude that opposition parties have infiltrated the Union and egged on the lecturers to remain inflexible to the Government’s offer. Be this as it may, it is not in doubt that the stalemate between the Government and the University lecturers has left tens of thousands of students, idle in their homes. It is often said, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Implicitly, they are willing tools in the hands of mischief markers. Therefore, in view of the daunting security challenges facing the country, this is not good for the nation. Three decades ago, Ghana was faced with a similar challenge in their educational sector. The Ghanaian leaders took a step back and overhauled their University system. Today, it is on record that Ghana has become a destination for knowledge-seeking undergraduates. The CBN Governor, Mallam Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, noted recently that Nigerians spent N62 billion paying school fees for 75,000 Nigerian students in Ghanaian Universities. However, a comparative study has revealed that in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, most of the Universities are public owned; apart from Harvard which is a private University. This is because education is seen as a social service to the people. It becomes apparent that privatizing education will mean taking education out of the reach of many. It has been discovered that 98% of labour-related issues in the UK and USA are settled every year without strike. Conversely, the situation is different in Ghana. The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) like their Nigerian counterpart, ASUU is currently on strike. However, there is one discernible difference between the Ghanaian’s case and that of Nigeria. In the former, the statute establishing the various public Universities provides that an academic year without academic work for 21 continuous days calls for the closure of the school and dissolution of the calendar. The later is open–ended. That is why there are low incidence of ‘half-baked syndrome’ when compared with the Nigerian experience. It is therefore, expected of the Nigerian Government to borrow a leaf from her Ghanaian counterpart, review the statute establishing various public Universities and provide a minimum period for academic work in every academic year without which calls for the cancellation of the calendar. This would ultimately stem the tide of industrial actions. In the words of Sir Winston Churchill, “If we open a quarrel between the past and the present, we shall find that we have lost the future.” Therefore, there is urgent need for Joint Action Plan between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in addressing the perennial problems facing our educational system. The representatives of Government and ASUU should be opened and sincere to discussions with a view to salvaging the system from near collapse; because education remains the backbone of every economy. Sampson Ikemitang writes from the Federal Ministry of Information Headquarters.
Posted on: Tue, 10 Sep 2013 17:17:59 +0000