Executive Secretary, Tertiary Education Trust Fund (TETFund), Sonny Echono, has justified the anger and grievances of University lecturers under the umbrella of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) who have been on a nationwide strike for over a month.
He, however, assured the university lecturers that government was committed to a permanent solution to the frequent industrial disharmony in the university system, which has badly affected the system including the chances of Nigerian universities in global rankings of the Universities.
Speaking to journalists and staff of TETFund shortly after taking over the affairs of TETFund as the new Executive Secretary in Abuja, Echono confirmed that most of the things ASUU was asking for has been done, particularly those within the purview of the Federal Ministry of Education.
“However, there are one or two issues which has to do with lots of funding which the government is working on. There’s no doubt about the fact that ASUU is right in its anger and grievances, hence they choose to shut down the Universities in protest. We really need to treat our teachers better, give them living wage instead of what they currently get these days.
“I can fully relate the anger of ASUU members particularly the issue of welfare package. The welfare package is poor and really need to be reviewed and we are working on that. But let me share a story. I attended the naming ceremony of the daughter of a very good friend of mine some years ago.
“The lady I attended her naming ceremony is now a medical Consultant in one of the hospitals. She earns more than her father who started teaching long before she was born and has been a Professor for over 20 years now. It’s neither the problem of UTAS nor IPPIS which is the platform being used to pay people in other sectors of the economy.”
He, however, solicited ASUU’s kind understanding and consideration to the numerous financial challenges being faced by government, which has affected financial allocation to different sectors of the economy.
He said: “ASUU has made numerous demands and they being considered and worked upon. In fact, I am heading to the NUC now to attend a meeting that has to do their demands. So, the government is seriously committed to the cause of resolving these issues that has affected our tertiary education badly.
“Undoubtedly, there’s need for massive investment in our education system. TETFund has done marvelously well in the past few years and it will continue to do more to better our tertiary education system.”
He observed that one major factor that had affected ranking and internationalization in Nigeria’s university system is the quality of faculty and exchange programmes in the schools. “If we have foreign lecturers and students in our institutions, it will greatly improves our scores and chances of being counted among the top universities in world. But not foreign lecturer or student will come in unstable system.”
Credit: Daily Sun