I worry when we lose track of our needs, redirect blame and seemingly continue to chase shadows. Upon whose shoulders should the task of ensuring our students are in school? Remuneration of teachers is as important as the teaching – learning process because their because their basic requirements must be secure. But that is not all!
In the 2009 Agreement, the government promised to provide fund for revitalising public universities; provide assistance to state universities; establish a Nigerian University Pension Commission, NUPEMCO, and progressively increase the annual budgetary allocation to education to 26 per cent between 2009 and 2020.
Government also promised to pay earned allowances, transfer federal government landed property to universities and to set up research equipment provision to laboratories and classrooms, the government has failed to keep its promises.
Why do some lay the blame on the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU)? Why don’t we demand accountability and discipline from our government once and for all? An agreement should not be breached abruptly!
Nigeria is fast becoming a euphoric state. There is increasingly a flagrant excessive interest in ‘celebri-talk’ and less ‘real-talk’ (I guess it keeps the people happy which I am not opposed to). However, we have real problems in our education system which as a people, we must work in agreement to tackle! Let’s sign a petition that will end the ASUU Strike! Sign a petition to improve our schools, to get our children back to school and to implement our good policies on education! Together, we can save the future of this country; just by our relentless demand for the improvement of the quality of education in Nigeria. No nation can rise OR has risen above the level of their education.
We have been called the ‘proverbial land of no tomorrow’…..sad! Education helps to eliminate poverty and in return, we are handed a sure tomorrow.
Education is preparation for life. Education is life itself ~ John Dewey