THE Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has again urged the Federal Government to fix the rot in the educational sector by declaring a state of emergency on education.
This call was made by the National President of ASUU, Professor Biodun Ogunyemi, while briefing newsmen at the National Executive Council meeting of the union, on Monday, at the Federal University o of Agriculture(FUNAAB), Abeokuta.
He bemoaned the failure of the Federal Government to declare a state of emergency in the education sector, as canvassed by the Minister of Education, Mallam Adamu Adamu, at the inter-ministerial retreat in November 2017.
While noting that the Mohammadu Buhari led administration had failed to address the challenges facing education in the country, the national President said the government was merely paying lip service to the sector.
He insisted that numerous challenges bedevilling the country such as insecurity, unemployment, drug-related offences, cultism and other socio-economic cum political challenges were due to poor attention given to the education sector.
The ASUU boss, however, warned that Nigeria’s problems would increase if the government fails to give education a quick fix.
He said: “The National Executive Council (NEC) reviewed developments in the education sector since her last meeting and expressed strong worries that have arrested meaningful transformation of the sector
“This government promised us to change and our belief is that change should start with education. We are not even saying it alone, the Minister of Education who has come back for a second term also said it in 2017 that there was a need for a declaration of a state of emergency on that sector.
“The Minister also said if there will be meaningful change in this country, it must start with education. We agree with him, but we want him to pursue the matter to a logical conclusion to ensure that the state of emergency they promised us is declared and activated.”
Prof Ogunyemi also decried the issues of underfunding of education from pre-primary to the university level in public schools; the rot and decay in existing facilities; expansion plans as against the current haphazard establishment leading to mushrooming of educational institutions and incentives and welfare for workers in the education sector.