Parents in the university town of Nsukka have
appealed to the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) to suspend
its ongoing strike, considering the setback and suffering it would cause
students and their parents.
Some
parents, who spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Nsukka on
Friday, said that if the strike was allowed to continue, it would alter
university academic calendar and make it difficult for students to
graduate when they ought to.
Mrs Njideka
Ozioko, a secondary school Principal, decried the incessant strikes in
Nigeria's tertiary education sector, describing them as unhealthy
development.
"It is unfortunate that some
students have spent over five years for a course that is supposed to
last four years as result of frequent strikes.
"When
two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers; ASUU should consider
students and suspend the strike, while it continues negotiation with
government."
She said that the union should explore other avenues of ventilating its grievances, saying that
strikes adversely affect the academic life of students.
Similarly,
Mr Jude Urama, while appealing to the lecturers to suspend the strike,
said the government should make education a priority in its programme by
treating issues relating to the sector honestly and transparently.
"It is unbelievable that government cannot implement agreement it reached with ASUU since 2009.
"If
government knew it didn't have the financial muscle to fulfil that
agreement, why did it sign the agreement?" Urama asked rhetorically.
He
also appealed to the lecturers to consider the interest of students and
parents who are on the receiving end, and suspend the strike, so that
final year students could finish up with their examinations.
Also
commenting, Mrs Joy Ezeugwu, a Civil Servant, urged the ASUU leadership
to give Federal Government more time to meet its demands, in view of
the present economic recession in the country.
"It is unfortunate that government has been unable to fulfil its own part of the agreement reached with ASUU since 2009.
"Education is the engine room that drives economic and technological development of any nation.
"Our
leaders should learn how to give education its pride of place in order
to move this country to the next level," she said. (NAN)
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