THESE may not be the best of times for the Nigerian education sector as the comprehensive and indefinite strike action embarked upon by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has continued. Twelve weeks on, and with no end in sight to the impasse between the union and the Federal Government, Vanguard Learning critically examines issues raised by the industrial action.
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Twelve weeks after the commencement of ASUU strike, a major cabinet shake-up by President Goodluck Jonathan hit the sector as the Education Minister, Professor Ruqqayatu Ahmed Ruf'ai, was sacked from office alongside eight others, leaving the Minister of State, Mr. Nyesom Wike, to take charge until the appointment of a substantive minister.
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Investigation reveals that her sack was not unconnected with political calculations in the countdown to the 2015 general elections and her alleged passivity to settling the agitations of tertiary institutions' staff unions, which led to a two month strike by the Academic Staff Union of Polytechnics (ASUP), and the ongoing ASUU strike. This is even as Colleges of Education Academic Staff Union (COEASU) just ended a seven-day warning strike to call government's attention to the welfare of its members.
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As Rufai's sack continues to raise mixed feelings among stakeholders, another dust was raised with the call by the Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, to disband ASUU over its adamant position to continue with the strike unless government meets 100 per cent of its demands.