Olufemi Atoyebi, Ibadan
The Academic Staff Union of Universities has said that the education sector is facing serious challenges under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.
The Chairman of ASUU, University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Deji Omole, said this on Monday.
Omole noted that failure on the part of the Federal Government to vote enough fund for education had put the sector in a precarious position. He said the situation had also led to a crisis of confrontation between university authorities and students in some parts of the country.
He said, “It will be difficult to have a citizen that will love this country in the future, if the current trend of abandoning the poor while taking care of the rich continues.
“While each senator is paid N13.5m as running costs per month, the same Senate appropriated a paltry sum of N66m for capital projects for the University of Ibadan, which has a student population of about 30,000. This can only happen in a country where the ruling class lacks vision like Nigeria.
“The same government refuses to drop a kobo for the revitalisation of public universities. Now many children of the masses are denied access because universities cannot admit beyond what the dilapidated infrastructure can take. Yet their parents cannot afford private universities. The Federal Government owes about N800bn revitalisation funds to public varsities as contained in the agreements with ASUU.”
The UI ASUU chairman warned that the union would strongly oppose the FG’s plan to force children of the masses out of school because of unwarranted dues charged by universities to maintain their facilities.
“The United States, which all elite turn to for the funding of their public, knows the negative implication of having a growing pool of illiterates as we have in Nigeria. Buhari government has paid lip service to public education but prefers to pacify militants and terrorists,” he added.
https://punchng.com/fg-killing-education-sector-in-nigeria/
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