STUDENT: What We need From the Lecturers After the STRIKE

Fagge

The FG in its agreement with the union planned to inject N1.1trn into public varsities in the next five years. Though FG intended to inject N220bn yearly into the public university sector starting from next year, it disclosed that it could only make N100bn available this year.

In its latest strike, ASUU did not mince words that it was not going to call off the strike until the FG fully implements all the outstanding aspects of the 2009 agreement.

ASUU President, Nasir Fagge, said before the strike, ‘‘Our members cannot understand why a government finds it difficult to fulfill an agreement voluntarily entered into with the union in 2009 as well as the MoU that was introduced following ASUU’s protest against government’s demonstration of bad faith in 2012.’’

 The nine-point in the 2009 agreement included funding requirements for revamping Nigerian universities, progressive increase in annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020 and earned allowances.

  

These are the demands of some of the students who were interviewed:

 

A postgraduate student in one of the federal universities in the country, Mr. Olumide Adewunmi, said there was the need for a total overhaul of public universities to justify the strike once the FG played its part.

Stating that he was pessimistic about any meaningful result from the strike, Adewunmi added that he would be happy to see changes in the attitude of lecturers, non-academic members and students alike.

Adewunmi, who said that there had been insincerity on the part of successive governments in funding public education, noted that positive results from the ongoing strike should rub off on the country’s  public universities.

He said, ‘‘After this strike, I wish to see changes in the work attitude of both the academic and non-academic members of universities; and also, changes in the attitude of students to learning. For me, these changes are fundamental to the development of our university system. I also want ASUU to ensure accountability of university authorities. There should be ingenuity in generating funds independently in a way capable of turning around the fortunes of our university system.’’

The student stated that without the changes, no amount of government funding would be enough to improve the university system and make it equal to world standard.

Also, a master’s student at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun, Mr. Soji Babalola, stated that infrastructural development was crucial to revamping public varsities in the country.

Babalola said there should be potable water on all campuses, constant power supply, good roads and conducive learning environment.

He added, ‘‘There should be a renovation of dilapidated buildings especially classrooms and hostels. We expect to see congested hostels being replaced by new ones. The era of eight students in a room should be a fairytale in this 21st century where self-esteem is fundamental for advancement. Sufficient and improved instructional materials are expected to be evident in our classrooms, coupled with up-to-date laboratories and libraries with effective Internet facilities. Also, we expect to see adequate lecturers for all courses necessary for students’ growth and development.’’

Babalola also charged authorities in public universities across the country to ensure that lecturers lead a comfortable lifestyle like their contemporaries in other fields such as politics, oil and gas, banking and telecommunications. ‘‘Without all the aforementioned, the strike and its eventual result will be like a downpour that cannot grow a seed,’’ he added.

Another postgraduate student, Mr. Akeem Akinniyi, echoed Adewunmi’s submission when he said the quality of education in public universities should be in sync with global standard.

According to him, the intellectual exchange should be aimed at developing individuals who will impact positively on the growth of the nation as opposed to ‘I-have-been-to-school-to-make-it mentality.’

The widespread practice of selling handouts to students is what a postgraduate student at the University of Lagos, Mr. Oyindamola Olofinlua, would want authorities in public varsities to check.

‘‘There should be an end to extortion in the name of handouts. Basically, focus should be on the upgrading of academic facilities, regular training and re-training of academic and non-academic employees including the restoration of the accommodation system of the 60s and 70s,’’  Olofinlua said.

In its reaction, Education Rights Campaign, said as far as it was concerned, the strike was still on and the union’s demands were yet to be met.

The group’s National Coordinator, Mr. Hassan Taiwo, stated that there would have been essential changes in the public university system if the government had abided by the 2009 agreement long ago.

It stated, ‘‘If the 2009 agreement had been honoured by the FG as at when due, by now, there would have been fundamental changes in the condition of facilities in public varsity system.’’

An undergraduate at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Cyril Nicholas, observed that it was important for something concrete to emerge from the strike.

According to him, past strike actions and the unpleasant development which the current strike has witnessed should breathe fresh air into public universities in the country.

He said there was the need to guard against any other strike when the current one ends.

Nicholas said, ‘‘It will be unattractive if after this strike, nothing changes in the system. There should be judicious use of all funds and grants to make public varsities better in order to attractive good brains. The aim of some selfish individuals is to cripple public varsities and this is what stakeholders must resist.’’

Another scholar, Patrick Charles, called for improved infrastructure, grant for research and publication, better equipped libraries and constant electricity.

Charles, who is currently studying for PhD at OAU, also urged varsity authorities to motivate lecturers within the academic environment so that they could give their best.

Besides, a senior lecturer in one of the state universities in the country, who did not want his name published, urged the union to ensure strict accountability regarding how it disburses and spends the projected fund.

The lecturer said it would be a thing of joy if the ongoing strike could bring back the glorious era of public universities.