A group, the Education Rights Campaign (ERC), on Thursday, blamed the federal government’s insensitivity for the shut down of learning in the nation’s public universities by workers’ unions.
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The group in a statement jointly signed by Ogunjinmi Ayobami, the Deputy National Coordinator and Michael Lenin, the
Acting National Mobilization Officer and made available to Daily Independent warned that continued lockout of students in 106 universities may further worsen public tertiary education in the country.
The rights group extends solidarity to members of the Non-Academic Staff Union of Education and Associated Institutions (NASU) and Senior Staff Association of Nigerian Universities (SSANU) for the two weeks warning strike, saying the current situation is unprecedented in the public education sector in the country.
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“As a result of the strike by SSANU and NASU, all administrative and municipal services in public Universities have been shut down. This combined with the impact of the ongoing strike by members of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) means that all public Universities in Nigeria are practically shut down.
“It is unprecedented for all the four staff unions in the nation’s universities to withdraw their services at the same time. This shows the scale of the crisis in the country’s education sector and the complete bankruptcy of President Muhammadu Buhari’s government in dealing with it,” ERC added.
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The group lamented that successive governments have over the years abandoned the public education sector to wallow in underfunding while budgetary allocation to the sector had stagnated between 4% and 10%.
“Under this condition of underfunding, it is not unexpected for the education sector to be ridden with various crises. This is made worse by the undemocratic management of institutions, which means that the limited amount allocated is easily siphoned by the management.
The statement added, “Necessary facilities to aid effective living and learning are mostly absent while those available are in decrepit condition. News of avoidable death of students and other calamities continue to make daily headlines.”
The group called on the federal government to check the situation to avoid further dilapidation in the sector and urged the striking unions to sustain the struggle for a new lease of life in the sector.
(C)ControlTV2022.
