Education
ASUU strike: FG is deliberately undermining education, says Prof Fawehinmi
Immediate past deputy Vice chancellor (Academic) University of Portharcourt Professor Hakeem Fawehinmi has described the logjam in the Ivory towers over industrial action by lecturers as a deliberate effort by Government to undermined education.
Speaking in Abuja recently on the incessant strike action by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) Fawehinmi said the strike is a necessity
The Professor of Clinical Anatomy and Medical Anthropology said,
“I think the ASUU agitation is called for even though it is one strike too many but it is not the fault of ASUU. “You will notice that ASUU has been consistently asking for the same thing, better funding for the university, some form of university autonomy from the Government and then this IPPIS platform that was recently introduced has been an issue.
“This is because it does not serve the purpose of the univwrsity. All over the world University staff are entitled to what we call sabbatical leave and are entitled to be visiting other institutions and when you are on Sabbatical it is expected that the new institution will enroll you on their payroll even as a visiting lecturer.
“The IPPIS did not make any provision for remuneration of lecturers on leave and that is very clear to everybody.
“Nobody is going to go on sabbatical and go there to do it pro-bono, you go there you are expected to get paid so that you can sustain your life wherever you are doing it.
He said the IPPIS platform does not make provisions for sabbatical leave, there is no express provision and that is a very big deficiency.
“So the ASUU struggle is genuine and Germain.”
While throwing more lights on the issue he said, There was this agreement ASUU signed with the Federal Government way back in 2009 and the Federal Government kept postponing the evil day in the sense that it has not been able to implement that agreement wholeheartedly.
“Therefore ASUU would be forced to go into strike and would be called back, and there would be a memorandum of action and the Federal Government would not keep to its own side.”
He lamented that there is a very huge deficit in budget for education in Nigeria especially tertiary education.
“For a country like Nigeria that has a very huge chunk of it’s population as youth the UNESCO minimum of 18% should be adhered to but if you look at the Nigerian budget the education sector don’t even get up to 7%.
“We think that is a very huge deficit and it is affecting tertiary education totally because tirtiaty education, university education in particular is a universal thing and therefore the benchmark standard must be maintained, it is supposed to be all over the world.
“The number of lecturers also has not been enough and that has been worsened by the ongoing brain drain and that is where the issue of earned Academic allowances comes in.”
He said, some lecturers are made to work beyond what their schedule is supposed to be.
“They are made to be in several committee jobs and so on. Because of this, there is this deficit in payment and if you look at the lecturers take home, the take home of a professor, you will know that it is not a takehome pay, it is not a living wage.
He therefore implored the government should look into that.
“The earned academic allowances is not being paid as at when due and they were trying to mainstream it, so that we don’t come every year to keep talking about the same thing.
He observed that the Government on its side , particularly the ministries concerned ; education, finance and Labour have not really done what they are supposed to do in mainstreaming this Earned Academic Allowances, hence there is huge backlog to be paid.
These he said are the issues coming on and on. In the area of funding for the universities, he said, “Funding of the university, of course you know that the population of Students has overwhelmed the infrastructural capacity and if you go to the students hostels, classrooms, you will see those deficits.
“Therefore the Government is supposed to be proactive to make sure that they expand their infrastructure to match with the students population and that is part of the reason for the recurrent strike.”
He expressed sympathy with the Nigerian students saying that irrespective of the deficit in infrastructure and facilities to train them, their program has been serialy disrupted and it has reached a situation where it has become confusing not only for the students but also for the academic staff, the lecturers.
“When you start a session, after the COVID-19 technically they lost a session and came back and trying to find their feet and create a part for their academic existence, and all of a sudden it is truncated again, they go back home, maybe what they have studied they have already started forgetting and by the time they come back to get themselves attuned again there is another strike.
“So the whole process the student might become confused and tomorrow we argue that the kind of products from Nigerian universities does not suit the labour market.
“You know, this sort of disruptions are not good for tertiary educational all. Even the lecturers themselves, we as professors have paid a lot of our dues to the system.
“We can imagine how confusing it is, you start a course, halfway to it there is a 6months strike and then after the strike you come back, you start to think of where to start from because the students must have forgotten the trend and this reoccurring disruptions, the Government should be sensitive to the plight of the students and their parents.
The Katsina State Government has reiterated its commitment to improving the education sector of the state.
Governor Dikko Umaru Radda,spoke at the second combined convocation ceremony of Al-qalam University Katsina.
Represented by his deputy Alh. Lawal Jobe, he congratulated the graduands, saying that his government has recorded significant strides in overhauling the education sector of the state.
A statement by the Chief Press secretary to the Governor, Ibrahim Kaula Mohammed, quoted the governor to have indicated that, “The elevation of the Department of Higher Education to a full-fledged Ministry and changing the nomenclature of the State Ministry of Education to Ministry for Basic and Secondary Education is among other steps to reposition Katsina education sector, and taking it to the next level”.
Gov Radda urged the graduands to put into practice the knowledge acquired in school.
Earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor of the University, Prof. Nasiru Musa Yauri, said the combined convocation ceremony covered the conferring of Bachelors of Arts, education and science degrees of 9,894 graduates of the institution.
Of the number, he said 104 passed out with first class, while 1,910 had second class degrees and 125 others bagged various masters degree.
Also speaking, the Pro-Chancellor of the University, Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura, indicated that Al-Qalam University offers the cheapest tuition fees among all private universities in Nigeria.
He thanked the Chancellor of the University, Alhaji Aminu Dantata and the Chairman Islamic foundation Alhaji Bilya Sanda for supporting the growth of the university through physical structure.
Highlights of the ceremony included the conferment of honorary doctorate degrees on the Emir of Katsina, Alhaji Abdulmumini Kabir Usman, that of Kazaure, Dr. Najib Suleiman Adamu, the Chairman, BUA Group of Companies, Alhaji Abdussalam Rabiu and Alhaji Sani Zangon Daura.
By Ahmed Rufa’i, Dutse
The UK government through the British High Commission in Nigeria has pledged continued support to the Jigawa state government in the reforms of it’s educational system to improve human capital development in the state.
This was contained in a communique issued after a one day Education Reform Dialogue with critical stakeholders at Three Star Hotel in Dutse, the state capital.
The communique was signed by the state ‘s Team Leader of the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) projects, Mr Mustapha Balarabe Ahmed.
The communique indicated the theme of the dialogue to be ‘Repositioning Teaching and Learning for Human Capital Development’.
The dialogue was convened by the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology in Jigawa State.
The communique explained that the dialogue is targeted at highlighting the 12-point agenda of the new Jigawa administration, geared towards repositioning the state as a centre of excellence in addressing learning poverty and other challenges with basic education, the dearth of teachers and the high prevalence of out-of-school children in the state.
The communique disclosed further that “Jigawa State has set aside more than N2.6b to recruit, train and induct 6,000 new teachers adding that a recruitment committee was inaugurated by the Honorable Commissioner for Basic Education, Honorable Dr. Lawan Yunusa Danzomo during the Education Reform dialogue.
“This reform is in line with key recommendations highlighted in a new Teacher Recruitment and Deployment Policy approved by the state, which the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) supported through its Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) and Partnership for Reform and Learning (PERL-ARC) programmes”.
FCDO’s Senior Education Adviser, Mr. Ian Attfield, during a courtesy visit to the Governor on the day of the event, commended the effort of the new administration, while pledging the UK Government’s support.
Mr Attfield expressed appreciation the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi on the formidable steps taken by his administration to address key strategic issues in Jigawa State’s education sector, especially the current efforts to address the critical shortage of teachers.
He said “Nigeria is still experiencing a learning crisis, and one of the most vital ingredients that any state or government can do is to supply qualified, motivated and adequately supported teachers. The UK is delighted to see the progress being made across the board, under the leadership and vision of Governor Namadi”.
The communique added that the state governor appreciated FCDO for its interventions in the state which has spanned over a decade, saying that the state is still reaping from the benefits of the Public Financial Management reforms done by the UK Government through the then Department for International Development (DFID).
The governor maintained that “PLANE is a programme which the Jigawa State Government is partaking in, and I want to assure you that just as we sustained reforms of the public financial management systems, we will also continue to sustain whatever reform or intervention you bring to us.
“We will sustain it and build on it. That is why you can see what we are doing in education in terms of teacher recruitment, deployment, training and retraining and our efforts to reduce the out-of-school children”, the Governor said.
He added that the state’s Tsangaya programme is designed specifically to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children and called on FCDO to join hands as it is poised to replicate FCDO’s interventions.
‘i, Dutse
The UK government through the British High Commission in Nigeria has pledged continued support to the Jigawa state government in the reforms of it’s educational system to improve human capital development in the state.
This was contained in a communique issued after a one day Education Reform Dialogue with critical stakeholders at Three Star Hotel in Dutse, the state capital.
The communique was signed by the state ‘s Team Leader of the Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) projects, Mr Mustapha Balarabe Ahmed.
The communique indicated the theme of the dialogue to be ‘Repositioning Teaching and Learning for Human Capital Development’.
The dialogue was convened by the Ministry of Basic Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology in Jigawa State.
The communique explained that the dialogue is targeted at highlighting the 12-point agenda of the new Jigawa administration, geared towards repositioning the state as a centre of excellence in addressing learning poverty and other challenges with basic education, the dearth of teachers and the high prevalence of out-of-school children in the state.
The communique disclosed further that “Jigawa State has set aside more than N2.6b to recruit, train and induct 6,000 new teachers adding that a recruitment committee was inaugurated by the Honorable Commissioner for Basic Education, Honorable Dr. Lawan Yunusa Danzomo during the Education Reform dialogue.
“This reform is in line with key recommendations highlighted in a new Teacher Recruitment and Deployment Policy approved by the state, which the Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office (FCDO) supported through its Partnership for Learning for All in Nigeria (PLANE) and Partnership for Reform and Learning (PERL-ARC) programmes”.
FCDO’s Senior Education Adviser, Mr. Ian Attfield, during a courtesy visit to the Governor on the day of the event, commended the effort of the new administration, while pledging the UK Government’s support.
Mr Attfield expressed appreciation the state governor, Malam Umar Namadi on the formidable steps taken by his administration to address key strategic issues in Jigawa State’s education sector, especially the current efforts to address the critical shortage of teachers.
He said “Nigeria is still experiencing a learning crisis, and one of the most vital ingredients that any state or government can do is to supply qualified, motivated and adequately supported teachers. The UK is delighted to see the progress being made across the board, under the leadership and vision of Governor Namadi”.
The communique added that the state governor appreciated FCDO for its interventions in the state which has spanned over a decade, saying that the state is still reaping from the benefits of the Public Financial Management reforms done by the UK Government through the then Department for International Development (DFID).
The governor maintained that “PLANE is a programme which the Jigawa State Government is partaking in, and I want to assure you that just as we sustained reforms of the public financial management systems, we will also continue to sustain whatever reform or intervention you bring to us.
“We will sustain it and build on it. That is why you can see what we are doing in education in terms of teacher recruitment, deployment, training and retraining and our efforts to reduce the out-of-school children”, the Governor said.
He added that the state’s Tsangaya programme is designed specifically to drastically reduce the number of out-of-school children and called on FCDO to join hands as it is poised to replicate FCDO’s interventions.
The Senate has launched investigation in to allegations of organized fraud in universities’ admissions across the country, after a motion moved by Senator Onyeka Nwebonyi (Ebonyi North) during Wednesday’s plenary.
Nwebonyi, in his motion, alleged that university staff are in the habit of conspiring with officials of Joint Admissions and Matriculations Board (JAMB) to carry out the fraududlent practices for financial gains.
JAMB is a statutory body with the mandate to conduct the Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) for admission to all Nigerian universities, polytechnics, colleges of education, and other tertiary institutions.
The upper legislative Chmaber directed its committees on Tertiary Institutions and TETFUND as well as Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions to commence the probe of the allegation of admission racketeering in tertiary institutions.
Nwebonyi said authorities of tertiary institutions, in cahoots with some JAMB officials, have reverted to the practice of provisional admissions into prized professional courses like medicine and surgery, pharmacy, law, Engineering, nursing science, with view to shortchanging some students already offered admission in exchange for gratification.
He said, “The travails of one Miss Chinyere Ekwe and 290 others who were admitted to study medicine and surgery at the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN) but had their admissions truncated on the order of JAMB for no plausible reason, after they had completed the admission processes and resumed lectures.
“Miss Ekwe, in particular, scored 291 in the 2019 UTME and 300 in the university’s post UTME, which qualified her for the course and was subsequently admitted by the university.
“The said Chinyere Ekwe was transferred to the department of medical laboratory science on the ground that if her cumulative grade is up to 4.5 points after the first year, she would be transferred back to medicine and surgery.
“However, despite the fact that she surpassed the 4.5 threshold, her admission status is still not yet certain as to whether she is duly admitted in the department of medicine and surgery or medical laboratory science.
“The provisional admission practice is being used as a malicious tool to exploit and frustrate intelligent young Nigerians who are children and wards of ordinary people who seek admission into Nigerian universities.”
Such unwholesome practices, he added, put the country’s educational system in jeopardy, cause apathy on the side of ordinary Nigerians.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio, in his remarks, stressed the need to give fair hearing to the accused parties, saying JAMB and UNN were known to be a reputable institutions.
He said, “We are shaving the head of a man behind his back. The university of Nigeria has a reputation that spans decade and respected internationally. And JAMB has its own reputation.
“So discussing and particularising it could tend to give the international community that something is questionable about the certificate from university of Nigeria which we all respect. It has given birth to so many universities including the one I went to which is the university of Calabar.
“Let the other side be heard, so that we can do a holistic job and even invite the Minister of Education to find out whether this kind of practice is occuring in the tertiary institutions. So let us do a holistic job. I think it is important we correct any wrong that we see.”
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