ERC FED POLY BIDA HOLDS PUBLIC SYMPOSIUM ON STUDENT UNIONISM AND THE STRUGGLE FOR SOCIALIST CHANGE

Panaf Adeyemi, Coordinator, ERC Fed Poly Bida

The Bida branch of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) – situated at the Federal Polytechnic Bida in Niger State - held a further public symposium on Tuesday August 29, 2017.

This successful symposium had an attendance of fifty eight (58) students. The speakers at the event were former Chair of the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP) at Bida Poly, Pita Kolo; Coordinator, Northern Chapters of ERC Comrade Dimeji Macaulay, branch coordinator of ERC Bida, Panaf Adejengbe Ashenafi Adeyemi (aka Basket); President of the Students' Union Government, Isola Olamilekan and Umar Sani. 

The symposium kicked off with rendition of solidarity songs after which the moderator Comrade Habeeb Bolarinwa introduced the invited guests. The branch coordinator, Panaf Adeyemi, gave a welcome address entitled "Students' Union Government FPB: The Missing 'U'!". This centred on charging the students to be more involved in the affairs and activities of the students union. At the same time he said that the student union leadership had to be true to their words which was to serve and represent the interests of Nigerian students at all times. 

Speaking on the topic "Building an Independent, Virile and Democratic Students Union: Issues and Challenges", the former Chair of ASUP at Bida Poly, Pita Kolo, pointed out eight vital points that Nigerian students need to observe to bring their aspirations into fruition. He went further to make a comprehensive analysis of how an independent, virile and democratic students' union can be achieved. This according to him will help to mitigate the incessant attack on students' individual and collective rights by school management.

Pita Kolo

He also urged students' union leaders to be ready to defend the interest of their colleagues in peaceful and non-violent ways. He called for unity and solidarity among students, union leaders and staff unions on campuses. Kolo also said management should not interfere in the running of the students' union and its affairs. He added that unionism is for sacrifice and not for making personal gain as we have it these days in many campuses.

Comrade Dimeji Macaulay spoke on the topic: "Commemoration of the Centenary of 1917 Russian Revolution"; said the organization was founded on ideals of socialism and fighting with correct method and tactics necessary to defeat capitalism.

He x-rayed on the political and economic situation in the country vis-à-vis the original perspective of the 1917 Socialist revolution in Russia to break with capitalism and start to build a socialist alternative. According to him, the high incidence of poverty and underdevelopment in Nigeria today is as a result of the failure of capitalism, worsened by the corruption of the politicians in government who are not interested in the welfare of the masses rather in making profit at the expense of the vast majority.

Speakers at the symposium

The class character of the regime can be seen in the attitude of the government rejecting demands for adequate funding of education as well as of workers' demands for the timely payment of the existing N18, 000 minimum wage. While dragging their feet on the issue of increasing the level of the minimum wage last set in 2011, they also reject a stipulated maximum wage for the thieving politicians. All the major political parties in power seem united on not paying the minimum wage even when they pay themselves jumbo salaries and outrageous allowances. According to him, all this shows that students, youth and workers can only win concessions through struggles.

He called on students to unite to fight for improved education funding and challenged the staff and students unions to build a movement to challenge anti-poor education policies on campus. Adding that free functional and quality education is only possible under socialism; Macaulay argued that the present capitalist system is not going to fund education because they have subscribed to doctrine of privatization and neo-liberal policies that add to the impact of the ongoing crisis in the world economy.

Going back into history, Macaulay noted that the events of 1917 during which workers took over power is an example to imbibe for us to unite to fight for a better society because it is obvious that both the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, and its main opposition, People Democratic Party (PDP) cannot guarantee a good living standard for Nigerians. He therefore called for building what he calls "a working people political alternative on socialist program" to end the rule of all capitalist parties in the country.

The students' union president, Ishola Olamilekan, while addressing the gathering promised once again that the executives would not renege on their various promises to the Nigerian students. He condemned the anti-student policies and unnecessary interference of the management in student's affairs; an example of such was the inappropriate amendment of the constitution of the student union government by the management.

At the end of the symposium, thirty two students signed to join the ERC while a sum of N1, 000 was raised as fighting fund.

FCA IBADAN: Provost shut down College for fear of students planned protest against poor welfare condition!

ERC Calls on Management to Meet Demands of Students and Immediately Re-open of the College

PRESS STATEMENT

 

The Federal College of Agriculture (FCA), Moor Plantation, Ibadan, Oyo State, was shut down on the Wednesday 23 August, 2017 by the Dr Babajide Adelekan-led administration of the college. This was immediately after students in the college resolved in their congress held on Tuesday, 22 August, 2017 to embark on a three-day peaceful mass action scheduled to commence on the same Wednesday 23 August. The planned mass action was to protest against the prevailing poor welfare condition in the college as well as the continuous refusal of the college administration to give students some learning materials like lab coat, farm coat, log books and ID card which they have actually paid for since the inception of new academic session in the college.

For over six weeks now, the poor welfare condition under which mass of students in the college groan for a long time has gone from bad to worse. There has not been supply of water and electricity to the hall of residence. The learning condition in the college has not fared better as the laboratory continues to be in dilapidated condition. Practical materials are grossly inadequate not even logbook to report practical activities. Consequently, many courses being offered in the college are currently unaccredited. This means that students currently studying the affected courses at the HND level will not be allowed to participate in the NYSC scheme after their graduation.

The ICT unit of the college is more or less an avenue through which the Dr Adelekan-led administration extorts and exploits the mass of students in the college. For instance, all students in the college were recently forced by the ICT unit to mandatorily pay additional fee of N600 for the re-registration of courses for the second semester after a huge sum of N6,600 was paid for the same purpose in the first semester.

Despite various pleas and discussions initiated by the leadership of the students’ union with the college administration, there was no practical step taken by Dr Adelekan-led administration to ensure that the either the complaints or suffering of the students is looked into or ameliorated. It is in light of this the leadership of the students’ union was compelled to convene a congress of the entire students where they resolved to embark on peaceful protest to express their displeasure and demand better living and learning conditions.

Unfortunately, instead of Dr Adelekan-led administration to create an avenue for discussion with the leadership of the student union with a view to officially listen and address their demands, the administration, wickedly shut down the college while students were forcefully ask go home. The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns this reprehensible action of the management and urges the leadership of the students’ union not to be deterred and weakened by the undemocratic and militaristic approach of the Dr. Adelekan led management.

Rather, the leadership of the student union should seize the opportunity of the period of the forced holiday to commence a serious media campaign with a view to build a public sympathy and support for all of the legitimate demands of the students while at the same time calling on parents and the general public to prevail on the Dr Adelekan-led administration to accede to all the demands of students including immediate re-opening of the college. We also call on workers and staff unions in the college to solidarise with students and support the demands.

 It is our believe that behind the problem of poor welfare condition and other related ones being faced by students is underfunding of the college side by side corruption and mismanagement of the limited resources at the disposal of the management. This is why we are calling on the leadership of the students union to link their demands to struggle for adequate funding and democratic management of the public education.

To realize this task will mean that both workers and students in the college will have to be united in a struggle for adequate funding and democratic management of the college including the auditing of the financial activities of immediate past and present administrations of the college.

Our Demands:

 -Immediate and unconditional re-opening of the college

-  Adequate and regular supply of water and electricity to hall of residence and academic area

-  Students’ logbooks, overalls, ID cards must be given to all bonifide students immediately

- Re-registration of courses for 2nd semester must be free,

- Re-accreditation of courses for HND programmes must be done immediately.

- Adequate funding and democratic management of public education

To Join ERC and participate in its activities call the following numbers: 08101671137; 07037415636

Caleb o Caleb

 Branch Secretary

ERC CONDEMNS JAMB’S NEW CUT-OFF MARKS

Asks Government to Reverse the Underfunding and Privatization of Primary and Secondary Education in order to Improve Quality of Education

Press Statement

The Education Rights Campaign (ERC) condemns the new cut off marks announced by JAMB which lowers to outrageous levels the minimum requirement for admission into universities, Polytechnics and Colleges of Education. We hereby demand an urgent reversal of this policy.

We wish to elucidate our opposition to this policy while responding to two arguments offered by the JAMB Registrar, Prof. Ishaq Oloyede to justify it.

According to Guardian newspaper of 25 August 2017, the JAMB Registrar, Prof Ishaq Oloyede based his justification of this decision on the fact that “most of the institutions except a few has never filled 70 percent of their admission capacity in the last 10 years”. This if true is truly disheartening.

Every year, nearly 2 million candidates apply for admission, but less than 500, 000 are admitted leaving a huge shortfall. Before now, the popular belief was that the reason for this situation is because there are too few tertiary institutions available for the increasing number of admission seekers. The new twist added to this debate by the JAMB registrar only further underlines the monumental crises afflicting public education and the emergency the situation has already become. 

As a result of the collapse of quality education at primary and secondary school levels over the years occasioned by poor funding and the emergence of private unregulated and usually below-standards private schools, the quality of candidates for admissions has progressively worsened. This is reflected in the annual average performance in qualifying examinations like WASSCE which shows that increasingly fewer numbers of products of secondary schools are able to make credits in 5 subjects. This collapse of quality education at secondary school level is no doubt the outcome of the policy of underfunding and education privatization pursued by successive governments over the last three decades which saw a boom in establishment of private schools many without any real facility nor quality teachers – a variety of which is beginning to manifest at the tertiary levels today.

But this problem will not be solved by artificially lowering the cut-off marks. By lowering the cut-off marks, JAMB is effectively preparing the ground for another crisis in the medium and long term. Moreso, if the quality of education continues to worsen as it definitely would if government fails to step in with more funding, it is only a matter of time before candidates are unable to make 120 cut-off marks. If this happens, would JAMB lower it to 50?

For us in the ERC, the proper way to rectify this kind of problem is by reversing the underfunding an privatization of primary and secondary education through government massive investment in public schools. Government must aggressively begin to rebuild decayed school infrastructures across the country, establish new schools and employ more teachers and support staff with improved remunerations. These if done with devotion, dedication and with clear intention to use public resources to meet people’s needs can reverse the rot afflicting public education within a decade.

As far as we are concerned, there is no other way to increase the quality of students and their overall performance in qualifying examinations other than by improving quality of education and infrastructures in schools. This would require that government halts its anti-poor policies of education underfunding and commercialization and immediately improve funding of education in order to address the acute shortfall in infrastructures and quality staff which is the bane of public education in the country. So long government continues to underfund public education; the quality of students will continue to worsen.

In the same vein, Leadership newspaper of August 25, 2017, the JAMB quotes the Registrar, Ishaq Oloyede, also while justifying the new cut-off marks saying that, “30 per cent of those in higher institutions do not take JAMB or have less than the cut-off marks. The admission process is now automated with direct involvement of the registrar of JAMB for final approval. “We have agreed to regularize admissions that were done under the table this year. From next year we will not accept anything like that”.

The above quote gives the impression that there is more behind the decision to lower the cut-off marks than the above-cited excuse given by the JAMB Registrar. Private tertiary institutions are the usual culprit of this kind of lawlessness because they are often undersubscribed and are always cutting corners to increase their intake. In any case, the ERC rejects this attempt to legalize illegality. We hereby demand the names of the institutions that engaged in unlawful admission of candidates to be publicly disclosed and duly penalized.

We wish to remind the JAMB Registrar that JAMB is a public institution funded by tax payers’ monies and that he was appointed to act in favour of the interests of the general public and not private interests. Therefore if some tertiary institutions admitted students “under the table” or without following laid down rules and guidelines, the least the public expects and would accept is that they are penalized and if they are private Universities, their licenses should be revoked. To then use this illegality to take a decision that could throw our education into further crisis is unacceptable.

 

                                                                                                                

Hassan Taiwo Soweto                                                                   Ibukun Omole                      

National Coordinator (07033697259)                                       National Secretary

ASUU STRIKE: LASU ERC HOLDS PUBLIC MEETING

On Monday August 21, 2017, members of the Education Rights Campaign (ERC) Lagos State University (LASU) Chapter held a public meeting to discuss; Incessant ASUU Strike: Way Forward for the Nigerian Masses. The meeting held at Faculty of Education, Lagos State University. The public meeting which attracted nothing less than 75 students was addressed by series of workers/students leaders and activists including  Tony Dansu - the Secretary of ASUU LASU, Adeolu Oyekan - the Assistant Secretary of ASUU LASU, Comrade Majek and Comrade H.T Soweto (ERC National coordinator). Also in attendance was Comrade YNA Omomeewa (ERC Lagos Coordinator) and Comrade Bintinlaaye Aasim (ERC LASU Coordinator). The Public meeting was moderated by Comrade IBM Doroorike who is also the librarian of the ERC LASU branch.

The meeting afforded the opportunity to respond to government propaganda which often try to portray students as a neutral party in a conflict between ASUU and the government over the latter's persistent underfunding of the public University system. In fact so bad is the condition of learning in the public tertiary institutions that were it not for the ideological collapse of the NANS, actually students are supposed to be to the fore of the struggle to salvage the education sector.

As each of the speakers laboured to explain, the reason why strikes are incessant in the education sector is because of government refusal to fund the sector and fulfill agreements reached with unions. For instance the bone of contention in the present strike is an agreement signed since 2009 which successive capitalist government has failed to implement in full for 8 good years now!

 In Dec 2013 an MOU was signed with ASUU which compelled govt to spend, in annual tranches of N220 billion each, a sum of N1.3 trillion over the course of 6 years to revitalise decaying infrastructures in public universities. Up till now, only N200 billion, being the 2013 tranche of the entire sum, has been released. The Buhari/Osinbajo govt despite lavish electoral promises to revamp public education has not paid a dime for 2015, 2016 and 2017. Instead budgetary allocation to education under the Buhari/Osinbanjo govt has fallen to 6%.

A constant refrain at the meeting was that the usual excuse that the Buhari govt has no money because of economic crisis is no more tenable. Where did they find N6.1 billion to buy exotic cars for lawmakers? Where did they get the yet undisclosed millions of dollars they have been spending to treat ailing President Buhari in foreign hospital while our own hospitals are comatose? Why is it that it is only when it comes to paying workers salaries, creating jobs or funding public education and services that the govt suddenly remembers that there is a recession and it has no money?

As Comrade Soweto and ASUU LASU Assistant Secretary tried to explain, the primary reason for successive government irresponsibility towards not only funding of public education but the general welfare of the working class, poor and downtrodden is because of their embrace of the profit-first capitalist system which has no interest in investing in public education or in improving the living conditions of the working people. That is why despite recession, the wealth of the richest 5 capitalists in Nigeria has continued to increase with Oxfam recently reporting that these 5 people have between them enough wealth to banish poverty in Nigeria.

Therefore the struggle to salvage public education must be linked with the struggle to do away with this unjust capitalist system. To do this, we urgently need a mass workers political alternative that can unite the working masses to take political power from the thieving ruling elite and establish a workers and poor peoples govt armed with socialist policies under which Nigeria's vast resources can be brought under public control and democratically managed and deployed to meeting peoples needs, instead of increasing the profit of a few. It is to this end that members of the Democratic Socialist Movement (DSM) formed the Socialist Party of Nigeria (SPN) which has been fighting for registration by INEC for years now.

At the end of the public meeting, students began to demand actions that can lead to piling pressure on govt to meet ASUU demands so that the campuses can re-open for academic activities. Suggestions were made on the need to organise mass actions in Lagos, Ibadan, Abuja and across the country involving students (not just from LASU, but also other campuses), education workers and concerned members of the public to begin to call on govt to meet the striking lecturers' demands and fund education adequately. All these suggestions were taken with the agreement that the leadership would work on the modalities to implement them after which another, expectedly bigger, meeting involving students unions, groups and organizations would be called. From the venue of the meeting, students and members of the ERC marched round the campus to sensitize other students and members of the University community. At the end of the action, about 19 students chose to join the ERC in order to get more active in the struggle to save public education.