‘Political Class Want To Destroy Varsity Education In Nigeria’
The Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has raised an alarm over alleged plan by the ruling political class in the country to destroy tertiary education the way public primary and secondary education were made unattractive to parents.
ASUU said in terms of education funding, all parties whether Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) or All Progressive Congress (APC) have failed Nigerian children.
The chairman, ASUU University of Ibadan chapter, Dr Deji Omole in a statement on Monday in Ibadan, said the plan became obvious with the refusal of the ruling APC to inject revitalisation fund into public varsity education in the country to assist children of the downtrodden enjoy qualitative education and be able to challenge misrule in future.
According to ASUU, only former president Goodluck Jonathan injected N200 billion for the revitalisation of public varsities after an industrial action of almost six months in 2013.
The union and federal government agreed that a sum of N1.13 trillion would be injected into public universities over a period of six years but federal government only paid N200m in 2013 and nothing till date.
It lambasted the ruling government of President Muhammadu Buhari for not changing anything in the area of revitalisation of public universities even after the union went on strike in 2017.
He noted that infrastructure in Nigeria public varsities were worse off than when the federal government conducted the NEEDS assessment on public varsities in 2012.
“Public Universities are grossly underfunded leading to serious pressure on the available resources which have been stressed beyond elastic limits. Many qualified candidates cannot be absolved into the system due to lack of adequate facilities. Children of the masses are housed in zoo-like condition. Laboratory, lecture rooms, light are worse-off now.”
Rather than investing in the teeming youths, ASUU noted the failure to invest rightly and promptly in education is why government is now facing and committing more money to fighting insurgency, kidnapping, cybercrimes, armed robbery, rape among others.
“Despite agreeing with ASUU to pump in N1.3 trilion spread out in six years (2013 (N200b); 2014 (N220b); 2015 (N220b); 2016 (N220b); 2017 (N220), 2018 (N220b); only the Goodluck Jonathan administration released N200b in 2013 and that was all! Not even a kobo for revitalization has come from the Muhammadu Buhari government since 2015!.”
