The Vice Chancellor of Redeemer's
University, Ede, Osun State, Prof. Debo Adeyewa, has advised the Federal
Government to strategically grant total autonomy to universities as a panacea
to the demands of lecturers which it has described as ‘outrageous and
impossible’ to grant.
Adeyewa, in a chat with
journalists in Osun, challenged both the government and the ASUU members to
come to table with fair mindedness and seek redress on all the issues in
contention.
Citing the negative implications
of incessant strike on Nigerian graduates and even its certificates when
presented at foreign institutions, the vice chancellor maintained that
industrial action placed a huge burden on the system and put the country in bad
light.
He said: “For some of us who has
been following issues for some years now, we saw this coming, because way back
in the 1980s and 90s this struggle has been on, and the issues have remained
the same.
“The problems of poor funding,
infrastructure, allowances among others are really disturbing issues but how do
we come out of it?
“I don’t know whether my
colleagues in ASUU will agree with me. We have been on this for a long time,
how do we solve it.
“Let government speak out on its
inability to manage public institutions effectively, even if it cannot fund 26
per cent, it should do at least 20 per cent, and put more attention on the
sector. There should be more autonomy for the tertiary education system in
Nigeria. And there is no complete autonomy without financial autonomy.
“Federal Government should look
at the situation because they are real. However, there are think tanks in the
university system. Some ASUU members are professors who are the doyen in the
system; let them think of innovative ways of resolving these issues without
implicating the system they are trying to protect.
“Yes they would complain of
government’s inattentiveness, but it has been on ground for years. For me, the
way I look at it is complete autonomy that is one innovative way.”
Autonomy would send fees through the roof. Everybody knows that. So anyone calling for autonomy is mischievously being selfish.
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