prof.femi:


Fallacy. I take my work extremely seriously. I keep my teaching methods and courseware at par (or close) to the best universities in the world. And I do *not* work in Department of Chemistry. I have always maintained that we have "bad egg" lecturers. I almost always also state that we also have some outstanding lecturers. The fact of the matter is, we cannot fire the bad lecturers until we know for a fact that we have the wherewithal to hire anything better in their place. Tell me, how many first class students do you know who chose to lecture? Can you tell me why? Does it not go back to this same funding issue?

olayiwola9: sir, u know what i said above is true, the way the lecturers teach sometimes makes me clueless as to d subject being discussed in class, and then i know a lot of first class graduates who wanted to lecture, but to think of handling the lives of people the way majority of lecturers in oau does is in no way encouraging. Abi i lie?

prof.femi:

You know, it would be good for people to have any idea of what they are talking about before they give opinions. Do you know what a developing country that needs to bootstrap itself needs to do? If you do, please tell me. I am all ears.

olayiwola9: well they develop the labour markets, if after all the funding and ASUU trains us like they do in other standard places, we will still be back to the same problem of no jobs, i followed ur questions closely sir, and i must say u have made ur point clear but majority of ASUU members if truth be told are responsible for this decay.

prof.femi:


What do you mean? That they don't want to lecture because they don't want to ruin lives the way current lecturers do? That makes no sense. If they are really concerned about how useless current lecturers are, and they are sure of themselves, isn't that all the more reason to go into lecturing? Lets not be economical with the truth; we are all Nigerians. Simply put, no matter how attractive you think lecturing jobs are, they are still not good enough to attract the typical first class student. I know this because I have had such students graduating from under my tutelage for more than a decade.

By the way, please feel free to debate freely (and none of the "sir". This is a faceless forum, and I think you should be free to say exactly what you think freely.

prof.femi:


After spending close to 100 hours fielding questions on the ASUU strike last week on this same Nairaland, I had decided to just face my work and go through the various threads on the strike in stealth mode to pa ironu re. However, your post was so strongly-worded and ignorant that I had to decloak immediately to speak to it.

My dear young man, I lecture in that same OAU you are mouthing about. No be your fault. I wish you had attended some other universities in Nigeria; then perhaps you would have valued what you have here more. Elede o meye.

Your angry rant is fueled primarily by simple ignorance of the fact that by paying less than N100,000 for an education worth at least N1 million, students are a primary cause of the reason why the FG spends so much on tertiary education. Yes, the fight we are taking to FG to raise money may yet come back to haunt you guys. Have you ever paused your rant to ask yourself why ASUU doesn't just call off and let the government jerk up school fees? Believe me, if it were in my power, I would have made us do this long ago. Then you would stop accusing us of being selfish old men because you would be too busy working your guts out to raise the money for your education. The truth of the matter must be said: nobody in Nigeria wants to pay for anything. That is why a student like you is being given education that others mortgage their futures to get in the US, and you can still be ranting.

Did you see where someone obviously better than you suggested that a PG education somewhere abroad costs N5 million? Yet, you are mouthing off that OAU had the guts to collect N20,000 from you. You want ASUU to fight so you wont pay even that.

Since you say you are in OAU, I challenge you to say the university has NOT improved over the last 10 years. Do you even have any idea why that is so

I can understand now why most ASUU members view students with contempt; they lack the capacity for simply comprehension, preferring to raise hell.

This country is probably doomed, and I'm not thinking about GEJ or ASUU when I say that; I am looking at *you*.

Demdem:

The real reason why we all should support ASUU now and make sure the last time they will ever go on strike will be 2013

olayiwola9: sir, they say if u cant beat them join them. With my little stay in school, i've heard stories and seen myself of how lecturers who decide to distinguish themselves are treated, the old bucks expect things to maintain status quo and any lecturer who decides to change things a bit, u know the rest, and i know that u cannot tell me that in oau Majority of the lectures give their best, they dont even care if u understand all advise u to do is to spend 6 hours daily in the bush to understand what they've taught u.

prof.femi:


Yes, assuming that is true, how do you suppose we will improve this system? Ultimately, we could need to fire them. That's acceptable, but can you frankly answer me: do you think we will be able to recruit anyone better than them into this current system?

To the first answer: NOPE. They develop their tertiary education system first, so that when their industries develop, they have the manpower to solve the problems they encounter.

prof.femi:


Many urban myths that students carry from mouth to mouth are not true. Yes, the old hands try to ensure things remain the way they are, but I assure you that there are people who are, as we speak, changing the system. So, back to the point, this is not the reason first class students stay away. Its all about the money (and the nature of the job).

occam:

Perhaps you should have kept quite. Coming from a lecturer, this response was so inappropriate. You should have simply enlightened him, presented the facts and move on. Addressing a student with such contempt is very unethical

The huge amount quoted (in bold) applies only to foreign students. In Canada for instance, citizens pay far less than foreign students. In addition low income students or those whose parents' income fall below a threshold receive student loans and grant (ranging from $9,000 - $23,000 per year). Only 30 % of loans are repayable after completion of studies.

So in effect, university education is subsidized for low income earners. Sadly, Nigerian student do not get this kind of help from government.

occam: Perhaps you should have kept quite. Coming from a lecturer, this response was so inappropriate. You should have simply enlightened him, presented the facts and move on. Addressing a student with such contempt is very unethical

olayiwola9: and they are a minute part of the bunch, u and i know sir, that what needs to be changed first is the attitude of lectures not clamouringenious for some unreasonable agreement signed years ago, let them teach us well and i tell u, ASUU wont have need to confront the govt we the students will.

lakesguy: Al diz ones nah story' who cares abt the agreement' All I wann hear is ' ASUU called off 4month strike' den I can come bk here to read dere stupid agreement'

dr_joshua2000: ASUU members complain that politicians earn a lot , truth is if they want to join politics they are free to join, no one is stopping them. But for them to hold the nation under duress and compare themselves to politicians is unacceptable, they are on the long run civil servants. And retiring @ 70 is very worrying, first don't they ever want to have anytime to rest from work before they die?, then if all the lecturers remain there where will the teeming undergraduates get employed.

Demdem:

Please kindly lecture us all about this unknown signed agreement

howfarwhatagwan: Dear Nigerian students so eager to go back to school have you asked yourself
- what you are really going back to?
- The education you are currently getting does it equip you to compete equally with your counterparts around the world?
- why don't you all rise up and fight for what is rightfully yours?
- Is ASUU really the enemy here?
- Did ASUU have to embark on this strike for everyone including you to know that the education system is decaying and needs reforms?
- With advanced technology why are you all still crying about handouts what happened to projectors and the lecturers either sending you slides or uploading them in a central system where you can access?
- How many practical projects have you carried out?

rudedough: After much scrutiny, i have come an understanding that it all boils down to finance, and Nigerians are not yet ready to pay for education. If anyone could tell me where they pay 25,000 Naira (USD $155) per year for a University degree, anywhere in the world. I want to go study there.

prof.femi:


Many urban myths that students carry from mouth to mouth are not true. Yes, the old hands try to ensure things remain the way they are, but I assure you that there are people who are, as we speak, changing the system. So, back to the point, this is not the reason first class students stay away. Its all about the money (and the nature of the job).

dr_joshua2000: Prof Femi ASUU asking for about the highest pay among civil servants is totally uncalled for. In advanced countries lecturers are not near the highest paid, meanwhile most of you professors teach outdated and archaic lectures and have bias for updating your knowledge. Most professors teach just twice a year and they are fighting their butt out for high pay and even a so-called excess workload allowance of 3500 per hour. When the corruption in the society gets into our education then we're finally doomed, and that's where we are right now. Shame on ASUU.

Ninapha: . I beg to disagree with u on this assertion. Rather some are not even given the opportunity to. I can tell u atleast 7 ppl i know ith first class who are not employed. Yes some may not hv the flair for teaching but i know the pay is ok atleast far better than what most pple receive in other sectors. Stop deceiving us with this low pay stuff, there is gud money in lecturing period. U pple want to receive more that u hv worked for.

Promhize: God punish this idiots. I was almost supporting them but on a second thought, this guys are greedy old men, destroying students lives with no sense of regret.

Why can't they just sue the FG since it was an agreement, wait let me guess, they don't want to spend their money, but they can waste students lives without twitching an eye.

We always blame FG, but these lecturers are as worse as the politicians themselves, I can bet that over 40% (esp Professors, Dr) are not in Nigeria as we are speaking, we complain that our politicians children aren't schooling in Nigeria but these greedy men are not different, even the son of Ondo state's deputy governor schools at OAU - tell me why he would want to send any of his children to FG universities later.

I just don't understand, this idiots are fighting for their pockets - for bigger offices, ac fitted - not students. I school in OAU and I'm not complaining, in-fact, no student is complaining. OAU increased Acceptance fee from 2000naira to 20,000naira, a whooping 1000% increase, when we students protested they advised us to stop and called us all sorts.

No lecturer supported students. For Pre-degree programme, the fee is over 150thousand naira, to write post utme, you'd have to pay over 3000naira, to check you'd have to pay over 3000naira, pls where do you think all these money is going to. Its not like we are given free food or learning materials.

This lecturers sit in AC tight offices, travel anyhow even during school semesters all in the name of research, the same lecturers fighting for students will come back from trips in the middle of semesters and give students only course outline and ask us to go learn ourselves.

Same lecturers demanded more than once that their retirement age be extended when millions of graduates are out of work. They want allowance because they are teaching more than 1 course, these same men and women of no reputable standard went to school on scholarship, with free food, books, and so on.

Damn ASUU and their sympathisers. They sit in AC tight offices with numerous gadgets when ordinary ceiling fans in students room aren't working.
They collect hundreds of millions in different fees but must new classrooms in OAU are built by Private companies and individuals such as first bank, I bet the rest are from FG funds.

I WILL NOT STOP UNTIL EVERYONE KNOWS THAT EVEN THOUGH FG IS CORRUPT, THESE LECTURERS ARE NOT ANY BETTER.

prof.femi:


Yes, so how are you going to change their attitude?

yim: the agreement is voidable as govt was forced to sign under duress. ASUU members are thieves.

prof.femi:


Yes, did you see where I said "I can understand now why most ASUU members view students with contempt". Despite your best intentions, some people say just enough to change your view about them. As Burke said, "there is a limit at which forbearance ceases to be a virtue". Yes, I am a lecturer both in and out of the class, and I try to educate anyone who desires an education. But when someone speaks so ill of something I hold dear, I will state things exactly the way I see them.

At the end of your post, you hinted an acceptance of the fact that students or FG, *someone* always pays dearly for education. In your estimation, is that happening in Nigeria? If it is not, can you suggest an easier way to make it happen than what ASUU is doing?

Businesslocator: Both ASUU and fg are theives!!!
Me don even forget my department not to talk of matric number!!!