Education
Workers, Students and Socialists Agree that a United Action is needed to save
Public Education from Total Collapse.
By
Ogundepo Titus
On Thursday, 27th February, 2014, no
fewer than one hundred (100) people including students, education workers and
journalists gathered at a public symposium organized by the Education Right
Campaign (ERC) at the University of Ibadan to discuss the 2013 ASUU strike and
its lessons.
Virtually all the speakers commended
the ERC for organizing the public gathering of both students and education
workers which was the first of its kind since the suspension of the six months'
long strike embarked upon by members of Academic Staff Union of Universities
(ASUU) to protest poor funding of public university education.
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| A cross section of the participants |
The speakers at were the Dr Nasir
Fagge, President of ASUU; Chibuzor Asumogha, President Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnic (ASUP ) who was represented by Mr. Anderson, ASUP Zone D
Coordinator from Federal Polytechnic Nekede Imo State; Segun Sango,
Chairperson, Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) and Hassan Taiwo Soweto, National
Coordinator of ERC.
Amongst other speakers were Dr
Demola Aremu, ASUU National Treasurer who doubles as the Oyo State chair of
Joint Action Front (JAF); Dr Alada, Dean of Students' Affair, University of
Ibadan; Dr Omonigo Karo, Chairman, ASUU Unilag and Dr Segun Ajiboye, Chairman,
ASUU UI.
Hassan Taiwo Soweto, in his
introductory remarks, declared that the symposium was organized not only to
arrive at suggestions on how the gains recorded during the last ASUU strike can
be defended and sustained, but also to discuss the on-going strikes of ASUP and
COEASU with a view to mapping out ways and strategies to take these struggles
to a victorious end. He also made reference to current crisis in the Lagos
State University (LASU) and the interventions of ERC so far to ensure reversal
of the fee hike and adequate funding of that university.
 |
| HT Soweto, ERC National Coordinator |
While leading the discussion on the
theme of the symposium, Dr. Nasir Fagge's first statement was an appreciation
to members and leadership of ERC for their remarkable roles during the last
ASUU six-month strike. He also expressed his personal interest in ERC as well
as the trust he reposes in the organisation as far as issues affecting the
public education in Nigeria are concerned.
Fagge blamed the government's
irresponsibility and insensibility to public education as the root cause of the
last ASUU strike whose main demand was the implementation of the agreement the
federal Government signed with Union in 2009. He cited how improved budgetary
allocation to education of some countries like Brazil, China, Malaysia, India,
Finland, Sweden etc has been the secret of the tremendous progress those
countries have made in making quality education accessible to a good number of
their citizens.
 |
| Nasir Fagge, ASUP President |
To sustain the gains of the last
strike Fagge informed the gathering that all the branches of the union have
been mandated to constitute an independent project monitoring committee to
ensure that the N20bn intervention fund promised by the federal government is
judiciously used for the need of the system and not to be squandered among
contractors and University managements.
Speaking on lessons of the last ASUU
strike, Fagge revealed that the last strike made so many facts clearer to his
union. Notably among these is lack of sincerity and will to defend the
aspiration of Nigerians among individuals that are in positions of authority in
the country.
Another important lesson from the
last strike according to Fagge is the fact concerted effort and struggle of
ordinary people is continuously needed before the government at all levels can
be made to yield to her constitutional responsibility of making education
accessible to all Nigerians. In view of this, he endorsed the proposal of the
ERC for the united struggle of all stakeholders in education sector towards
adequate and proper funding of education. He informed the gathering that the
union has concluded plan to organize an education submit which will be held by
July. He however acknowledged the fact that only a pro-working people oriented
government is capable of guaranteeing free and quality education for Nigerian
masses.
 |
| Mr Anderson ASUP Zone D Coordinator |
While speaking on the sub-theme: The
ASUP strike and matter arising Mr. Anderson revealed that the ongoing ASUP
strike is also a reflection of negligence and irresponsibility by the federal
government. He explained this by making reference to how federal government has
been refusing to honour the agreement which was signed with union since April
2009.
According to Anderson, the detail of
the agreement signed with the union are: re-amending of the Act that
established the polytechnic which was amended last in 1993; the need to set up
a commission to be regulating the activities of the polytechnic instead of
using National Board of Technical Education (NBTE); the need to ensure that
ASUP mode of salaries should not be under IPPRL payment roll; scheme of service
which was last treated in 1989 should be retreated to make it updated to the
new mode of service among others.
He reaffirmed the determination of
the ASUP to continue the strike action as long as the Federal government
refuses to accede to various demands of the union. He also welcomed the ASUU's
plan to organize the education submit while pledging the support of ASUP to such
urgently needed initiative.
Segun Sango, who is also the General
Secretary of Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM), in his short speech was able
to clearly establish the fact that capitalist misrule and crazy drive for
profit as against the need of the people is the root cause of all the enormous
crises confronting public education as well as other sectors of the economy
which the previous speakers had highlighted.
 |
| Segun Sango, National Chairperson SPN |
He lauded the ASUU's planned
education submit and effort toward having a pro-working people Nigeria
constitution and pledged the support of SPN and DSM. He was however quick to
stress that only a pro-working people government with a socialist programme of
nationalizing the commanding heights of the economy placed under a democratic
control and management of the working people is capable of guaranteeing quality
and free education.
He also used the occasion to
announce the initiative to form the SPN by DSM as the latest step taken by the
organization towards realizing its age-long goal for a socialist transformation
of Nigeria. Sango also mentioned the difficulty of raising N1m (One million
naira) that INEC now demands as a registration fee. He therefore called on
students, education workers particularly their unions (ASUU and ASUP) to
support and donate to the SPN campaign fund for registration fees and party
building.
One of the highlights of the
programme was the solidarity message by the University of Ibadan, Dean of
Students Affair who declared his support to the philosophy of ERC despite the
fact that the ERC is not a registered organization with the Student Affair
unit.
Most of other solidarity messages
were words of encouragement to students to be more active and participatory in
day to day running of their union particularly towards reviving the students'
movement. One of the striking solidarity messages was that of the LASU Students
Union president-elect who solicited the support of ASUU and other education
workers unions towards the ongoing struggle of LASU students presently being
coordinated by members of ERC against outrageous fees.
Eighteen participants including
workers and students indicated interest to join ERC.
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