THE Academic Staff Union of Universities, ASUU, has asked the National Assembly to enact a law that will make it mandatory for the public office holders to send their children to public schools in the country.
ASUU has also commended the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige for demonstrating an uncommon faith in the university system by sending his children to public schools in Nigeria.
Speaking at the reconvened meeting with the federal government, being conciliated by the Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Ngige in Abuja, ASUU President, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke commended the Minister for having faith in Nigerian public schools.
He said the Minister’s commitment to the growth and development of the country’s educational system should be emulated by other Ministers.
According to him, “I hope other ministers will follow the same step as you. I think you are the only Minister whose children are in the country. We see others standing by their children outside the country during graduation. But, we saw you standing by one of your children who graduated in Lagos, proudly.
“We hope all others will emulate you and that Government will make it mandatory that if you accept a government appointment, your children must attend universities in the country.
“The National Assembly must formulate a law that if you take an appointment, your children must study here. If you know that your children cannot be here, don’t take a Government appointment.”
Osodeke lamented the decay in the public universities.
“When you hear those in government who send their children to schools abroad say that ASUU goes on strike, they should know that strike is not the problem The problem is that the issues afflicting the universities; nobody is interested in tackling them. Look at the budget we have seen recently, it is the same thing we have been seeing. Nothing has changed.
“And this country is paying the high price for neglecting education, the banditry you see, the kidnapping and what have you, are because people are not being taken care of. That is why ASUU has been struggling so that Nigerian universities will be revamped so that as our children go outside for learning, other children from other countries will come here too and pay to this country in hard currency.
Earlier in his remarks, Ngige assured that the Federal Government would not abandon the public universities despite dwindling resources and reiterated the government’s readiness to work with ASUU and others interested in revamping the educational system.
He said, “ASUU is not asking for impossible things. They are not asking that we give them our head or blood. They are interested in getting good working conditions for their members and for the public university system to be conducive for teaching and research.”
Ngige said Government would be happy to concentrate its limited resources in areas that would produce good effects for the country.
“If the private sector can bring excellence to our universities, the government can as well do the same. So, working hand in hand with ASUU as we are currently doing is a model we must keep. We will not be going to war with ASUU all the time. We can do constructive engagement. If there is something that government can do and it says it can’t, I am here to say no, you can because I am privy to some information.
“So, we will give the public university system a pride of place, so that when next global assessment is done, we will get more Nigerian universities in the first 1000 in Africa.
“I am a firm believer in the public university system. That is why my children are there. I didn’t send them to private ones. One graduated from Odumegwu Ojukwu University, Awka, and my daughter, at UNILAG. My third child will also come out possibly next month from a public university again.
“I don’t believe that public universities are going to be abandoned. We cannot do so. If we abandon them, the children of not-too privileged or not-too rich will not go anywhere and education is the civilization we need.
“ If any group of government workers or public officers will be on the side of the public university system, I am the number one. I also attended a public university. I attended the University of Nigeria Nsukka (UNN). I didn’t go to the United States of America when my classmates were going there. so, Government will do its side, despite lean resources.
“ Some of us are in government. We are not the Ministers of Education but we can influence things. We sit at the same FEC. I, therefore, want to reassure you that you are in very safe hands. If we continue this way, we will make more progress and restore faith in the university system.
