The Academic Staff Union of Universities has
said it is still not satisfied with the Federal Government, in spite of
the passage of a bill by the National Assembly extending retirement age
of professors from 65 to 70 years.
The union had in 2009 entered into an agreement with the Federal Government on reversing the decay in the university system, funding for research and development and upgrading of programmes and facilities.
The parties had also agreed on the extension of retirement age of professors from the existing 65 years to 70, as well as university autonomy among other issues.
The President of the union, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos that the union was insisting on the total implementation of the agreement to avoid any form of breakdown in the education sector.
“Information made available to us from the National Assembly has it that it had just passed the bill on retirement age for lecturers in the professional rofessional cadre.
“I think by this action, government has just started. It is just scratching the surface of the issue and this to a large extent does not show any form of seriousness in taking the sector to its premier position,” he said.
Awuzie said the passage of just the retirement age of professors bill alone, coupled with the low amount allocated to education in the 2011 budget showed that the repositioning of the sector was going to take some time to achieve.
He said, “In 2009, just 13 per cent of the total budget was approved for the education sector and there was an agreement with government that with time, it would gradually progress to 26 per cent before 2020.
“But subsequently, it reduced drastically from the 13 per cent in 2009 to six per cent in 2010, leaving every one to wonder if we are indeed serious with taking the sector to another level.
“Funding is a very critical element in running a university and with the quality of funding we are getting, we would hardly achieve qualitative teaching and learning; whether there is an increase in staff welfare or not.”
He added that governments must be alive to their responsibilities in tackling challenges in the sector holistically, if they desired to rank among the world best economies.
According to Awuzie, the implementation of these provisions is crucial for the ability of the universities to survive and realise the goal of the agreement to reposition the universities in an effort to meet international standards.
The ASUU president said the universities, among other challenges, were losing their most senior academics in the professorial cadre by way of retirement, search for greener pastures and death.
By Agency Reporter Courtesy Of: Punch
The union had in 2009 entered into an agreement with the Federal Government on reversing the decay in the university system, funding for research and development and upgrading of programmes and facilities.
The parties had also agreed on the extension of retirement age of professors from the existing 65 years to 70, as well as university autonomy among other issues.
The President of the union, Prof. Ukachukwu Awuzie told the News Agency of Nigeria on Thursday in Lagos that the union was insisting on the total implementation of the agreement to avoid any form of breakdown in the education sector.
“Information made available to us from the National Assembly has it that it had just passed the bill on retirement age for lecturers in the professional rofessional cadre.
“I think by this action, government has just started. It is just scratching the surface of the issue and this to a large extent does not show any form of seriousness in taking the sector to its premier position,” he said.
Awuzie said the passage of just the retirement age of professors bill alone, coupled with the low amount allocated to education in the 2011 budget showed that the repositioning of the sector was going to take some time to achieve.
He said, “In 2009, just 13 per cent of the total budget was approved for the education sector and there was an agreement with government that with time, it would gradually progress to 26 per cent before 2020.
“But subsequently, it reduced drastically from the 13 per cent in 2009 to six per cent in 2010, leaving every one to wonder if we are indeed serious with taking the sector to another level.
“Funding is a very critical element in running a university and with the quality of funding we are getting, we would hardly achieve qualitative teaching and learning; whether there is an increase in staff welfare or not.”
He added that governments must be alive to their responsibilities in tackling challenges in the sector holistically, if they desired to rank among the world best economies.
According to Awuzie, the implementation of these provisions is crucial for the ability of the universities to survive and realise the goal of the agreement to reposition the universities in an effort to meet international standards.
The ASUU president said the universities, among other challenges, were losing their most senior academics in the professorial cadre by way of retirement, search for greener pastures and death.
By Agency Reporter Courtesy Of: Punch
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