The President of the Academic Staff Union of Universities, Prof. Chris Piwuna, has said the Federal Government does not prioritise education because its officials do not consider the sector’s problems as national concerns requiring collective responsibility.
Piwuna, who spoke during The Toyin Falola Interviews on Sunday, in a virtual conversation titled “A Conversation with the ASUU President,” said the indifference of key government officials towards the education sector has made it difficult to achieve sustainable reforms.
According to him, members of the Federal Executive Council often view education challenges as the sole responsibility of the Minister of Education.
ASUU has long relied on strikes to press for its demands.
In recent years, the union has often justified industrial action as prompted by government proposals that it views as a “total departure” from the agreed terms of the 2009 FGN–ASUU Agreement, as well as unresolved issues such as outstanding promotion arrears, withheld deductions, and inadequate funding and renovation of public universities.
“Members of the government, the ministers, and chief executives do not see the problem of education as a problem that affects them.
“When ASUU declares a strike, the Minister of Finance sees it as the Minister of Education’s problem; the Minister of Science and Technology sees it the same way.
“But if the Minister of Finance understood that the country’s economic growth depends on a knowledgeable workforce, he would take the Minister of Education’s problem as his own. The same applies to other ministries,” Piwuna said.
He added that the Federal Government’s response to education issues was further hindered by ideological differences and corruption.
“We in ASUU see education as a public good, but those in government treat it as a capitalist venture, something only important if it generates profit.
“Many of them now suggest that TETFund should begin funding private universities. Even the last Chief of Staff to the President, who never did that while in government, is now a Pro-Chancellor advocating it. Self-interest and contract inflation have replaced public service. That is why TETFund has become a marketplace,” he said.
The host, a historian and scholar, Prof. Toyin Falola, gave an overview of ASUU’s historical struggles with the Federal Government and the recurring industrial actions that have crippled academic calendars for decades.
