Strike: Increase budgetary allocation to education sector, COPSUN urges political class

As preparations for the 2023 general election are fast approaching, the Committee of Pro-Chancellors of State-Owned Universities (COPSUN) has called on the political class to give greater attention to education with a substantial increase in the budgetary allocation saying education is the key to the future of the country.

COPSUN further appealed to the various political parties jostling for power to initiate innovative reforms in the education sector in their manifestos in order to part ways with the persistent crisis in the sector.

The appeal came at the 57th quarterly meeting of the body in a communique issued by COPSUN secretary, Marcus Awobifa and made available to Tribune Online in Abuja.

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• Strike: Increase budgetary allocation to education sector, COPSUN urges political class
• Strike: Increase budgetary allocation to education sector, COPSUN urges political class

COPSUN particularly reviewed the ongoing ASUU indefinite strike action and maintain international best practices and resolved that to be recognised among first-rated universities, the governments at the federal and state levels should improve on the funding of their universities and enhance the welfare of the workforce while adding that state governments should exercise restraint in establishing new universities but invest heavily on the existing ones to improve on the quality of their infrastructure.

COPSUN added that said it is saddened that the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) have continued to defy all pleas and entreaties by parents, policy makers and well-meaning Nigerians to call-off its seven month-old industrial action which has heightened tension in the university system and believed that the damage caused by the disruption in the university system cannot be rebuilt by the reform being sought by the association.

“While it has always supported the call for reform in the education sector, COPSUN restated that the ongoing strike which has been unnecessarily prolonged was obsolete and ASUU cannot continue to apply the same strategy and expect a different result.

“It (COPSUN) has observed that the university system lost over 50 months to strikes since 1999 resulting in elongated academic calendars with the nation paying heavy price, while the students, parents and the university workforce have been put in perpetual position to miss and lose many life opportunities.

“COPSUN is however relieved that the federal government agrees that state universities have the right to adopt or reject agreement reached with ASUU by the federal government because education is on the concurrent legislative list. COPSUN, however, reiterated that it would not be coerced to adopt hook, line and sinker any agreement to which it was not a party abinitio. State-owned universities will continue to negotiate with its employees in accordance with the terms and conditions of their engagements.

“The Pro-Chancellors called on the federal government to be courageous to enforce the extant rule on “no work no pay” as failure to apply rules in the past led to impunity in our society. We are astounded that the lecturers that abandoned classes for almost an academic session are clamouring for salaries they did not work for.”