ASUU strike: Time to shift ground

Despite the danger incessant strikes in the education
sector would cause to the promising future of the
Nigerian students, their families and to the nation at
large, all stakeholders remain adamant.
Since the year 2009, there has been a power tussle
and serious agitation between the Federal
Government and the Academic Staff Union of
Universities (ASUU).

The brawl began as a mild complaint over alleged
non-compliance by the Federal Government with the
Consolidated Universities Academic Salary Structure
(CONUASS) agreement aimed at addressing the
conditions of service, funding, retirement age,
autonomy, allowance and academic freedom, and so
on.

This disagreement has plagued the nation into yet
another round of turmoil even when it is yet to
recover from the evil menace of kidnapping and
bomb blast and insecurity.
But come to think of it! ASUU has never embarked
on a strike just because of poor infrastructures,
inadequate equipment of the laboratories and
research centres or poor learning environment (I
stand to be corrected, though).
It has always been a tale of lack of research grants,
brain drain and salary increments and now hazard;
of course the infrastructure gets thrown in just to
attract students' sympathy.
Need I delve into the commitment, motivational and
professional deficiencies of the teaching staff in our
universities? It is more a situation where the
pedagogical methods of most lecturers are more
ancient than modern, dictatorial than interactive
and above all, lacking in motivation.
Today, we are faced with the increasingly
embarrassing reality of graduates with first or
higher degrees who have failed woefully on the field.

There are many graduates of Mass Communication
who do not know the name of any editor of a
national daily newspaper or magazine.

Many of them
cannot write a proper outline to a simple story,
essay, column or article.
The Federal Government is not any better. Theirs is
the case of misplaced priorities – placing their
return to the government houses on a higher
pedestal to students' returning to classrooms.

It goes a long way to show that we are not truly a
democracy-practising nation. In a true egalitarian
society, this government would have no moral,
political or social right to aspire for a second term.
For the records, our universities have been under
funded with no clear cut structures and possess
archaic equipment that are only fit for museum
pieces.

Students share part of the responsibilities as well
ultimately, parents failed to monitor the progress of
their children/wards while in the academic
community.

It is high time the government of Dr Goodluck
Jonathan took note of the discouraging reports and
act quickly to correct them. It is time for this
government to justify why money cannot be voted to
revamp the state of the educational system instead of
pumping money to purchase air-fleet for politicians,
and appropriating it for building unnecessary
stadiums.

The Federal Government must allow reason and
Solomonic wisdom to prevail and be ready to shift
ground; ASUU must put its house in order.
Government at all levels should save our future.
Wishing the problems away may be immoral
ambivalence. We need a stable academic calendar
for the benefit of our future.
Nnaemeka Success, Imo State.