Students Vs ASUU

When two elephants fight…

With the paralysis of academic activities in universities by ASUU over issues relating to proper funding and infrastructural facilities in the nation’s ivory towers, Alexander Chiejina writes that only an adequately funded public education sector can guarantee improved working conditions for education workers.

For Damian Okonkwo, a two-hundred level student in the Department of Industrial Physics, Imo State University, (IMSU), his plans on completing his academic pursuit next year seem to have suffered a big blow, following the paralysis of academic activities in universities as a result of the strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

Since finishing his first semester exams in August this year, he had no option than to come back to Lagos, where his parents stay in a bid to see what menial jobs he could do pending when the strike by ASUU is called off.

The same experience can be said of Merit Harrison, a third year law student at Anambra State University, who disclosed to BusinessDay that she has resulted to staying at home since she didn’t have any qualification which would earn her a job at the moment. Harrison revealed that her parents are worried because her younger brother who gained admission to study Medicine at Abia State University, ABSU was affected.

No doubt, the strike embarked upon by ASUU across Universities owned by the State governments since July 2, 2010, generated headlines in print and electronic media across the country. At the last count, more than 10 Universities were on strike action. They are Abia State University (ABSU), Anambra State University, Ebonyi State University, Enugu State University of Technology (ESUT), Imo State University (IMSU), Rivers State University, Rivers State University of Education, Lagos State University (LASU), Cross River University of Technology (CRUTECH), Olabisi Onabanjo University (OOU) and the Tai Solarin University of Education (TASUED).

In Lagos, even education workers' unions of State-owned institutions like the Lagos State Polytechnic (LASPOTECH), Michael Otedola College of Education (MOCPED) and Adeniran Ogunsanya College of Education (AOCOED) have joined the strike action. Meanwhile, all Universities in the five states (Anambra, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States) of the South east have been on strike since August 2010.

Their grouse has been attributed to the refusal of the state governments to fully implement agreement signed between the Federal government and the Staff Unions last year after a 4-month nationwide strike action that paralysed activities in the nation’s ivory towers.

The Federal government had signed agreement covering improved condition of service, education funding, University autonomy and academic freedom. This agreement also prescribed a gradual increase in education funding and the establishment, by all Universities governing council, a budget monitoring committee involving elected representatives of students and staff unions to monitor how the University authorities spend government allocations.

However, a recent communiqué of the meeting of the National Executive Council (NEC) of the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), published in one of the national dallies last month reveal that neither the Federal government nor any state government has fully implemented the agreement. Actually, the Federal government and some state governments only implemented the salary component of the agreement which includes a 53.37 percent pay rise. In reality, none has implemented other components of the agreement like improved funding, university autonomy and academic freedom.

Speaking recently to newsmen, Ukachukwu Awuzie, President ASUU, decried the crisis that has enveloped the nation’s university system which has often led to countless industrial action by the body. Citing a case of Anambra State University, Awuzie noted that there were only five professors, four of which belong to the faculty of science, 20 senior lecturers and 29 lecturers for a student population of about 21,000.

"The above scenario should be situated within the context of the loud cry by all and sundry for improved quality in our universities to make them competitive in the world intellectual market and to raise their ranking. With the above picture, is it not deceitful and wishful thinking to expect the lecturers in these universities to produce world-class graduates? From the above, we have universities with over 21,000 students having fewer than 700 academic staff whereas Harvard University in Boston, that is rated the best in the world, has 11,000 professors for a student population of about 18,000. It is obvious that the political class in the South East has collectively failed their people,” Awuzie stated.

While regretting this anormaly, the ASUU boss hinted that the state of underfunding of the university, has led to the university receiving a mere sum of N50million, barely 50 per cent of the current outdated monthly salary bill while it needs about N180million to pay salaries monthly.

According to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDPP), in its Human Development Index reports of 2005, “Due to poor funding of education, education at all levels suffers from low academic standards; lacks requisite teachers; both in sufficient quantity and quality. Even the few qualified teachers available are no sufficiently motivated in terms of remuneration/ conducive operating environment to maximise their output into the education system. Schools are over-populated and classrooms are over-crowded, facilities are inadequate and over-stressed, library shelves are empty and covered with cobwebs, while laboratories lack up-to-date equipment.”

Current statistics suggest that no Nigerian University can be found among the first 500 in the world and the first 50 in Africa. While the Committee of Directors of Academic Planning of Nigerian Universities (CODAPNU) in a communiqué issued at the end of their 2010 CODAPNU workshop and annual general meeting held at the University of Ilorin, October 24 and 28, 2010, called for the state governors to address this issue as soon as possible so that the affected undergraduates can return to school, they recommended that academic programme curricula review should be broad-based, incorporating inputs from industries and other major stake holders. There are of the view that the review should also be regular, need-based and responsive to development aspirations of the society.

“The academic planning units of our universities should rise up to the challenge of providing direction in the implementation strategy of multi-institutional approach to curricula development, research administration and management of quality instructional service delivery,” it advised. Above all, only an adequately funded public education sector that is placed under public democratic control and management can guarantee improved working conditions and wage for education workers.

BY Alexander Chiejina