The Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU), Federal College of Education (FCE), Bichi chapter, has expressed concern over the level of dilapidated academic infrastructures in the college despite TETfund allocation and releases to the institution
The body said it had resolved to embark on a strike to press home its demands over the myriad of challenges facing the college.
Disclosing this while jointly addressing a press conference in Kano, the chairman of the union, Dr Hussaini Yahaya and his secretary, Moji Kenneth Terngu lamented that despite the allocation and fund releases, essential facilities such as laboratories, workshops and studios are not functioning optimally in the college
The body also expressed worry over the state of insecurity in the college, affirming that the rate of lawlessness in the college is alarming.
The chairman of the union, hinted also that “staff morale is at low level due to pressing issues bordering on non-payment of staff’s allowances and other statutory entitlements; non unutilisation of NHIS funds, non-remittance of pensions, staff multipurpose cooperative deductions spanning into months, among other issues.”
“The interventions of critical stakeholders and the national officers council of the union have prevented us from embarking on an indefinite strike. Despite the fact that the current management of the college has barely two months to leave the office, we cannot sit and watch the institution being thrown into a deep mess.”
According to him, following the emergency meeting by the union on April 6, members of COEASU, FCE Bichi, unanimously resolved to resume the industrial action, suspended on August 23, 2022.
He recalled that the strike then was comprehensive, noting that the union was forced to resort to strike as the last option given the managements’ attitude to resolutions reached with relevant stakeholders.
Dr Yahaya stated that the union considered unfortunate the action of the management in implementing the resolutions of August 18, 2022 and January 10, 2023 predicated on issues of quality academic standard and other emerging issues affecting staff‘s welfare in the institution He highlighted other issues militating against the progress of the college to include: nonrelease of TETfund approved funds for different programmes, such as teaching practice intervention and book development as well as academic staff training and development, non-payment of allowances by the main Affiliate Programmes Directorate and Centre for Continuing Education, lack of internet services, non release of imprest and responsibility allowances.
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