ASUU Objects FG Proposed Education Loans
In a new development on the tussle between the Federal Government and the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) over good university educational standards; the latter has opposed the plans of the government to introduce education loans.
The Union highlighted the reasons behind the proposed education loans saying it is a deliberate and systematic attempt of FG to refrain from funding public universities which are termed a failure already in other countries where such is practiced.
“The government’s systematic withdrawal from funding public universities through the proposed introduction of education loans is a complete failure in countries where it has been implemented.”
Moreover, ASUU further raised concerns on
the Federal Government’s increase in tuition costs associated with receiving a university education. This move, ASUU says would place higher education out of reach for economically disadvantaged students.
The National President of ASUU, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, said in a statement on Monday that the resolutions were reached at the end of the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Calabar.
He, however, drew the attention of Nigerians’ to the lingering issue of the renegotiation of the 2009 FGN-ASUU Agreement, which he said was the initial issue that led to the recently suspended strike.
According to ASUU President, the NEC rejected the government’s insistence on handing down an award rather than a bargained salary package.
‘’The meeting also reviewed and condemned the government’s attempt to casualize the job of intellectuals, as reflected in the pro-rated salaries paid to our members for October 2022, as well as the continued withholding of our members’ salaries for the preceding 8 months, even when the backlog of work is being covered by our members in various universities’’ he stated.
ASUU wants Nigerians to put pressure on the government to take care of unfinished business in the FGN-ASUU Memorandum of Action for December 2020.
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