EFFECT OF ASUU STRIKE ON STUDENTS AND LECTURERS: THE GAINS AND THE LOSSES TO COME By Oluwafemi Femi. It is no longer news that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has been on strike for almost four months now. I have done an empirical analysis of what Nigerian students as well as lecturers will gain and lose as a result of the current struggle. Read, digest and see if we need to support them any longer or not. GAIN OF LECTURERS 1. Increased allowances for project supervision, call duty, extra hours worked, hazards, etc. 2. Payment of salaries and entitlements for the several months in which they didn’t work! 3. Those schools that did not partake in the struggle e.g UNILORIN and RSUST will also benefit from the infrastructure funds and the earned allowances (needless to say UNILORIN almost began sharing the almost one (1) billion they got for earned allowances last week) NEGATIVE EFFECT OF THE STRIKE ON LECTURERS 1. Delay in obtaining Masters and PhD’s for those still doing their postgraduate studies. 2. I cant fathom out any. Please, help me if you have been able to think of any other one. GAINS OF THE STRUGGLE FOR STUDENTS 1. The funds released for infrastructure will be used to meet the immediate needs of our schools. Some will use the funds to construct more hostels, some will use it to equip libraries, provide internet connectivity, build laboratories and furnish them, amongst others. These are projects that will aid learning and ultimately benefit students. 2. Those that will later join the academia and become Professors among us will also have the benefit of retiring at 70 years. 3. Those that will join the academia among us will also enjoy the special allowances that the current struggle will benefit lecturers in the years to come. NEGATIVE EFFECT OF THIS STRUGGLE FOR STUDENTS. 1. BATTERED ACADEMIC CALENDAR Our Schools have lost a semester which cannot be made up for. Most schools were either in their second semester of the 2012/2013 session or were rounding up their first semester exams when the strike began. This will result in an abridged semester and most schools will finish their 2012/2013 session in 2014. What this implies is that those that wrote the 2013 UTME and will be offered admission (most schools have not released their admission list) might not resume until probably March next year (when another UTME will be on the way) This will inadvertently result in late resumption of the 2013/2014 academic session which is likely to finish early 2015 (provided ASUU does not embark on another strike action before then). Academic calendar is thus in tatters! 2. DELAY IN THE RELEASE OF ADMISSION LIST. It is pertinent to note that a lot of prospective University students do not know their fate regarding admission as a result of the strike action. 3. LAW STUDENTS CANNOT GO TO LAW SCHOOL TILL NEXT YEAR OCTOBER. 2012/2013 Final year Law students must be cursing down their throats as the strike has barred them from progressing to the Law school this year. When the dust of this strike settles, they will have to wait till next year October before they can go to the Law school. This is not the only problem because Law graduate of next year 2014 might not be able to go to the Law school till 2015. One year wasted!. One might say two (2) sets will be merged but those in the know-how will tell you that the Law school has a quota for each school. Are we seeing the imminent crises? 4. FIERCE COMPETITION FOR 2014 NYSC BATCH ‘B’. As a result of this strike action, most public Universities (except probably UNILORIN) cannot present Students for November 2013, BATCH ‘C’ service year and with the look of things, public Universities might not be able to meet up with February 2014 BATCH ‘A’ Service year thus resulting in a fierce competition by students to be mobilised for service next year June BATCH ‘B’. What this means is that some students who were supposed to go for service in 2013 will be deferred to November, 2014 and some till February 2015. Are you calculating the time wasted? 5. SOME PROJECT STUDENTS MIGHT HAVE TO START ALL OVER 2012/2013 Final year students of most schools who were working on their projects (Science-relate d) when the strike action began might have to start again because the results obtained then might not be tenable again. This results in waste of scarce resources, time and energy. Having considered the gains and pains of the current struggle, Nigerian Students can now decide if they wish to continue supporting ASUU or reconsider their support. We can decide if the gain of the struggle outweighs the sacrifice we are
Posted on: Tue, 22 Oct 2013 04:56:52 +0000
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