26 Jun 2009 |
|
ASUU strike, again! By Levi Obijiofor THE yearly arm-wrestling tournament between the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) and the Federal Government underscores the degree of contempt which the government and ASUU leadership have for each other. ASUU's latest decision to drag its members out of university classrooms and laboratories, as well as the government's nonchalance over the adverse impact of that ASUU decision, show quite clearly that neither ASUU nor the government cares about the consequences of constant disruptions to university education across the country. In the current dispute, ASUU seems to be holding the moral high ground, if we believe its key argument for declaring an industrial strike effective from this week. At a press conference in Akure on Monday this week, the national president of ASUU, Professor Ukachukwu Awuzie, exposed the backside of Umaru Yar'Adua's administration when he contended that ASUU was forced "to take the painful decision to declare a total and indefinite strike to compel the government to take the path of honour for once and sign the agreement reached after more than two years of painstaking and scientific negotiations". It is indeed absurd and utterly unacceptable that a government which proclaims itself as a product of a democratic process has continued to apply underhanded strategies normally associated with authoritarian regimes. When the Federal Government signs an agreement with any organisation, group or agency, it is expected that the government should abide by the terms and conditions of that contract. However, it is a mark of arrogance and small-mindedness for a government to deliberately ignore, dishonour or desecrate the same agreement it endorsed without justifiable reasons. The Federal Government's evasive attitude to complaints about crumbling standards in the universities is evidence of an adult behaving badly. And it is that bad conduct on the part of Yar'Adua's government that has given ASUU the upper hand in its latest fight with the government. ASUU's decision to go on "a total and indefinite strike", despicable as it might appear, should be perceived as the unintended consequence of the Federal Government's obstinacy and flagrant refusal to honour an agreement the government signed with ASUU nearly 24 months ago. This strike is a public relations disaster for Yar'Adua's government. But, would the Federal Government care? For a government that has developed exclusive rights to sluggishness as a way of doing business, the ASUU strike may not show up in Yar'Adua's consciousness radar as a sensitive issue to be resolved immediately. Going by the lethargic pace with which the government has been approaching issues of national significance, no one should expect Yar'Adua to hurry up to resolve this industrial standoff. In Aso Rock, it could be business as usual, whether or not ASUU holds on to the strike till the next election. In the past, during the overbearing rule of Olusegun Obasanjo, the nation was led to believe that constant industrial disputes between ASUU and the government was due to Obasanjo's intolerance of alternative viewpoints, not to forget his legendary dislike for university teachers. Now, we know that Yar'Adua, the controversial political offspring of Obasanjo's government, has adopted wholesale the abusive character trait which Obasanjo passed on to him on May 29, 2007. For failing to honour its agreement with ASUU, Yar'Adua's government has cast itself in the image of a termite that destroys higher education standards across the nation. Yar'Adua seems to have this weird idea that the nation can limp on with or without life in the universities. As a former academic, Yar'Adua must be ashamed that he has not shown goodwill to the ASUU leadership. Here is how ASUU president Awuzie captured the protracted nature of the rounds of negotiations with the Federal Government, including the cagey strategies adopted by the government. Hear him: "...in March, we were told that the agreement would be signed before the end of April. At the end of April, we were told that it would be signed on May 7. On May 7, we were told the Permanent Secretary, who has no role in signing the papers, was not in the country. On May 10, we got a text message inviting us for the signing on Tuesday, May 12 at the NUC. When we got there, there was no programme. The event turned out to be a classic case of deception. Enough is enough." Awuzie also told journalists at the press conference in Akure: "... the negotiating teams searched for, and arrived at minimal conditions for reversing the decay in the university system and these include an agreement that if Nigeria is to get to where it ought to be, a minimum of 26 per cent of the yearly budget of the states and the Federal Government should be allocated to education... With this level of funding, we can halt the growing inability of the children of the underprivileged to get education. The teams also agreed that, in line with what the Nigerian Constitution allows, the Federal Government should as appropriate, provide assistance to states in areas of higher education." Four days since the allegations were made, the government has chosen to keep mum. In the past, I had written articles critical of ASUU's decision to adopt strikes as a major weapon to achieve its goals. My position has not changed but I am miffed by the degree of arrogance that continues to ooze from the government team negotiating with ASUU. To be certain, ASUU is justifiably concerned by the lack of faith and commitment shown by the government toward its complaints about the disintegration of equipment in the universities, including falling standards of teaching, research and community service. As I argued in an article written on May 2, 2008 when ASUU observed what it described as a "warning strike" designed to force federal education authorities to recall the dismissed 49 academic staff members of the University of Ilorin (UNILORIN): "How can scientific research and knowledge be advanced in the universities when basic equipment and infrastructure are unavailable or have since decayed? ASUU has an obligation to ensure that teaching and research at the universities are conducted in an environment that promotes learning." In the current climate, ASUU can't do much without financial and moral support from the government. I have heard the argument that there is nothing to lose if ASUU pulls down the university education system that lacks quality. Advocates of this view often contend that it is better to incinerate a flawed education system in order to build a stronger and more robust tertiary education system that everyone - students, parents and education administrators - would gladly associate with. It is a reckless argument. If Nigeria's higher education system is faulty, pulling it down is not the best way to rebuild or restructure it. For a long time, the Nigerian public assumed that the ASUU leadership went on regular strikes because they were terrified by the prospect of the Federal Government introducing radical changes in the university system, particularly changes designed to promote accountability and enhance academic standards, as well as expose the flaws in the system. The issues that underpin this latest ASUU strike show quite clearly that it is the Federal Government that is scared of improving the university system. Whether this ASUU strike is resolved sooner or later, there will be consequences for the endless interruptions to teaching and research, including community service rendered by academic staff of universities. For every day the strike is sustained, the nation loses in terms of hours of productivity. Not only will universities record a significant decline in the quality of teaching and research, the graduates of Nigerian universities will also lose their appeal and competitiveness among graduates from other overseas countries. In terms of job opportunities, overseas job recruitment officers will avoid rather than rush to Nigeria to recruit our graduates. Who wants to hire graduates of a university system that constantly experiences disruptions to academic schedule? Whenever ASUU coughs in its campaign to entrench high standards in teaching and research at the universities, it is the university students and graduates who will be in the frontline of the victims of ASUU's cold and flu - in a metaphoric sense. ASUU strike, whatever its objectives might be, is a double whammy that undermines the academic progress of current students and job prospects of graduates. When ASUU goes on strike and the nation gasps "ASUU strike, again!" it is necessary to understand the underlying reasons for the strike, even if we do not agree with the use of strikes as an instrument to resolve industrial disputes.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
# 
Your Comments
Please make The Square an enjoyable experience for everyone by refraining from gratuitous ad-hominem contributions, defamatory comments and off-topic posting. Such posts will be removed.