Negotiate With ASUU To End Strike – Afe Babalola

Iexclusivenews reports that the founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Chief Afe Babalola, has urged the Federal Government to negotiate with the striking Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) with a view to paying the salaries of its members and equipping public to make them safe for reopening.

According to a statement titled ‘COVID-19: ASUU vindicated on an objection of resumption by public universities’, sighted by iexclusivenews, said COVID-19 had vindicated the association’s position over the years about decayed infrastructure and the lack of necessary facilities in the universities.

In his words, “This is in sharp contrast to what obtains in private universities, most of which are reputed for their moral and physical discipline, quality and functional education, hygienic and safe environment, predictable academic calendar, absence of unionism, committed teachers, modern teaching equipment and laboratories as well as adequate preparation to prevent COVID-19.”

Babalola noted that private institutions had reiterated their readiness to reopen and had as well written to the National University Commission to visit to verify their claims of compliance with COVID-19 guidelines, kicked against lumping together of public and private institutions in the blanket closure since March.

I suggest that the NUC, Ministry of Education and the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 should advise the Federal Government on the danger of lumping public and private universities together when considering whether or not to allow universities to reopen.

The ABUAD founder charged the federal and state governments on the need “to concentrate on the provision of the necessary equipment and infrastructure to make the public institutions attractive like their private counterparts.”

He added, “The government should adequately fund education so that teachers can be well paid, while infrastructure, teaching aids and research grants will be readily available for them. It is trite to note that no nation develops without a sound educational system and the foundation is really not in primary school. It is the university level of education because it is the university that trains other levels.