ASUU strike: Time for holistic solution

The declaration of a ”comprehensive, total and  indefinite strike” by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which was already on a rollover strike for over six months now, has clearly turned into a crisis. There is no doubt the strike has caused incalculable damage to the education sector With students staying at home for […]

The declaration of a ”comprehensive, total and  indefinite strike” by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) which was already on a rollover strike for over six months now, has clearly turned into a crisis. There is no doubt the strike has caused incalculable damage to the education sector

With students staying at home for so long; parents are frustrated; academic staff are also not spared as their salaries have been withheld: Even promotion exercises cannot take place because of the strike.

There is no doubt that the major contention to this dispute is funding. As the Memorandum of Understanding says, it is all about the revitalization of public universities and improvement of the welfare of academic staff.

The federal government has been complaining of lack of funds to meet its obligations, despite the fact that it has been establishing new universities. For instance, four new public universities were created and given a takeoff fund of N4 billion each in 2021. States also establish universities despite their failure to provide adequate funding to the ones already in existence.

In addition, a lot of resources are expended in sponsoring academic staff to some of the best universities in the world to obtain higher degrees and when they complete their programmes and return to Nigeria, they are paid paltry sums as wages, which most times result in low morale and ultimately, the staff leave these institutions for greener pasture.  

Despite the repeated strikes by ASUU over the years, successive administrations have failed to honour agreements they entered with the union to provide the necessary funding for public universities. Consequently, I think there is need to convene a national education summit, where various stakeholders in the country, including ASUU, the federal government, governors, the National Assembly, pro-chancellors, civil society organisations and the business community, will develop a sustainable funding model, in which public universities will be given subventions, and then they will generate additional revenue for their sustenance. Reasonable increment in tuition is unavoidable, however, government should provide scholarships to indigent students. 

Additionally, the business community should be encouraged to also provide scholarships to the less privileged. Proliferation of public universities should be addressed, strict requirements should be put in place for any tier of government to fulfill if it wishes to open a university.

A database for academic staff should be established, this is with a view to control academics from taking up many visiting appointments at a particular time for quality control. A minimum base pay should be established for each academic rank, which will be reviewed periodically, then universities can be allowed to fix their own remunerations, this will stem brain drain from our public universities and make them more attractive.  

Universities can also seek donations to augment their income. The appointment of vice chancellors should be reviewed, being a professor is not enough. Evidence of attracting grants should be a key requirement, and also there must be evidence that the person can mentor upcoming academics.

 

Aliyu Ibrahim, Ph.D, sent this piece and can be reached at [email protected]