THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) yesterday identified constitutional problem as being responsible for the crisis in the education sector. The ASUU National President, Dr. Nassir Fagge while speaking at a symposium organized by the Education Right Campaign (ERC) titled ‘’ASUU 2013 Strike and the Lessons", maintained that the first challenge confronting education system in Nigeria was that current Nigeria constitution was not people oriented and must be changed.
“Our constitution is not a people’s oriented law. We must jettison it. A law that protects a leader who steals public fund is definitely not a people’s oriented law,” adding that the fundamental right inside the constitution “does not make education our right in Nigeria. “We must have a right to quality education,” he declared.
He disclosed that ASUU would organize a national education summit in July, 2014 with a view to addressing problems confronting education sector in Nigeria, while its submission will be forwarded to the National Assembly for the purpose of forming part of National policy on education.
According to him, the summit will address all known challenges confronting education in Nigeria. Fagge disclosed that the recent long drawn strike by the university lecturers was an eye opener for the union, particularly as regards the terrible deplorable situation of Nigerian higher education system.
He explained that the last strike was beyond payment of salaries of universities lecturers, but was rather meant to pressurize government to address the rot in the nation’s education system. ”The decision to go on the last strike was a difficult decision. People running the show in Nigeria are agents of IMF and World Bank and they have no sympathy for quality education. In spite of everything you cannot trust the operators of government for what they are after are their personal gains. “If we did not withdraw our services, we could continue to turn out half-baked students, who at best, are quarter to best. I however believe that if I do what is just, posterity will judge me,”the ASUU leader declared.
The ASUU leader wondered why people could not emulate the efforts of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who he said, devoted half of the budget of South- West, to education, the results of which he said, are glaring today. He equally disclosed that as part of efforts to ensure that stakeholders speak with one voice on issues pertaining to education, ASUU along with others were already working towards uniting all students’ bodies in the Nigeria tertiary institutions.
“The students’ union movements have been decimated. With exception of few, most students unions prefer to parley with powers that be. ASUU in collaboration with other stakeholders are working towards ensuring unity among the students. We are convinced that things are really wrong in our education system,” he said.
He assured the gathering that the union has put in place appropriate machinery in place to ensure that the N200billon to be released to public universities by the federal government was used for intended purposes.
ASUP representative, Dr. Andersen Ezeife , in his contribution at the symposium, said despite the fact that the polytechnic lecturers have been on strike for almost eight months now, government was yet to address any of the thirteen point demands of polytechnic lecturers.