ACADEMIC activities will today resume in all the
Federal and State Polytechnics nationwide following the
suspension of the 81-day industrial action by the lecturers
under the aegis of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics,
ASUP.
However, the two-week old strike by university lecturers is
continuing as the meeting between the joint Committee of
Senate and House of Representatives on Education and the
lecturers under the umbrella of Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, to find solution to the strike ended in
deadlock.
This came as pro-labour civil society groups, under the aegis
of Joint Action Front, JAF, have expressed concern over the
state of education in the country, and are planning a
nationwide mass protest to force the Federal and state
governments to not only accede to the legitimate demands of
workers of the nation’s tertiary institutions, but also make
adequate funding of public education compulsory.
Speaking on the suspension of the strike after their National
Executive Council, NEC, meeting in Abuja, ASUP Chairman, Dr.
Chibuzor Asumogba, told Vanguard that the decision to
suspend the strike was a result of the intervention of the Joint
committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on
Education.
It would be recalled that ASUP embarked on nationwide
indefinite strike on April 29 over what they termed Federal
Government’s insensitivity to its demands.
*Education Minister, Prof Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’I
Meanwhile, efforts by the Joint Senate and House of
Representative Committees on Education to resolve the crisis
between the ASUU and the Federal Government Monday night
ended in deadlock.
The joint Senate and House of Representatives Committees on
Education in a bid to ensure amicable resolution of the crisis
that led to the shut-down of universities invited the union and
representatives of the Federal Government, but the two
warring factions could not arrive at an agreement for the
strike to be called off.
Speaking to Vanguard after the meeting, President of ASUU,
Dr. Nasir Fagge, said the union made its presentation before
the committee, while the Federal Government delegation led by
the Minister of Education, Prof. Ruqayyatu Ahmed Rufa’i also
made their own presentation, adding that towards the end,
there was no common agreement.
Dr. Fagge said: “The government side made their presentation
and we also made our presentation and it became clear to the
Senate and House of Reps Committees on Education that
there have to be a follow-up meeting.
“So they requested both side to go and look at their
presentations again and make some consultations and come
back at a later date.”
Similarly, to the Secretary of the Senate Committee on
Education, Felix Orumwense, the meeting which lasted over
eight hours ended with ASUU standing their grounds.
He said: “Our meeting with ASUU started by 1.00p.m. and
ended at about 8.30p.m. All efforts to appeal to them to call
back their members back to classroom fell on deaf ears.”
Meantime, pro-labour civil society groups, have threatened to
organise mass protest in support of better educational system
in the country.
The group also threw total support for the ongoing
nationwide strike by Academic Staff Union of Universities,
ASUU, Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics, ASUP, and Senior
Staff Association of Polytechnics, SSANIP, that have shut
down the nation’s university and Polytechnic education for the
past two weeks and about four months respectively.
JAF in at a general meeting to discuss the crisis facing the
nation’s education, lamented perceived irresponsibility and
insensitivity of the Federal Government and state governments
to the collapsing state of public education.
JAF added that most political office holders (executives and
legislators) and civil service top functionaries at all levels of
Government, allegedly have unhindered corruptive access to
the looting of public fund, with which they allegedly sustain
their children and cronies in private schools and universities in
Nigeria and abroad.
No comments:
Post a Comment