The ongoing ASUU strike has generated a lot of discussions on the state of the nation's educational system. Comments have come from virtually every segment of the Nigerian society condemning or supporting the action of the dons. Some of the comments have bothered on the absurd and do not deserve any attention.
Others on the other hand have struck some vital cord on the ongoing discussions on the tertiary education system in the nation and therefore deserve some attention.
One of such comments came from the Primate of the Anglican Communion the most reverend Nicholas Okoh during the standing committee meeting of the Bishops Conference of the Anglican Communion of Nigeria which held in Yenagoa on Thursday the 12th of September 2013 when he reportedly called for the disbandment of the national body of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) asserting that there is no such body anywhere else in the world.
He was particularly irked by ASUU members who are engaged in part-time teaching in private universities during the strike and still get paid in their places of primary appointment when the strike is over.
He described their action as immoral. The comments of the primate could have been ignored but for the fact that he is a revered leader whose words are doted by all and sundry.
Obviously, the primate has strayed away from the coziness of the sublime world of faith into the mundane world of absolute realities where even the existence of God is often questioned. I do not know whether his assertion that there is nobody like ASUU anywhere else in the world is meant to be accepted as gospel truth or an article of faith but it is obviously not true!
On Thursday August 1st, 2013, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), led by their President Dr. Anthony Simmons embarked on an indefinite strike in support of their demand for the payment of salary arrears and other allowances.
That was the second industrial action by Ghana's national teachers union this year; so there is "ASUU" in at least one other country in the world.
What is more disturbing is the apparent ignorance of the primate of the general situation of the educational systems in Nigeria when he accused university lecturers of engaging in part-time teaching in private universities while the ASUU strike lasts.
Does the Primate know that these part-time lecturers whose activity he has described as immoral and self serving are the backbone of academic activities in most private and some public universities in the country.
According to the NEEDS report, only 24 of 174 Ph.D. holders in Kaduna State University are fulltime lecturers, meaning that the remaining 150 are part-time staff! Most of the universities recently established by the state and Federal Government would not be functional without the army of part-time lecturers!
If there is any act of immorality, I would suggest it is committed by the various governments that do not make sufficient provision for fulltime lecturers before embarking on the political gimmick of establishing these mushroom universities.
The non provision of basic facilities at the time of establishment by the Federal government has continued to plague many universities in the country today.
Notwithstanding the many drawbacks of part-time teaching, especially for the caliber of students presented to us, and the substandard learning environment, I regard the activities of these parttime lecturers as humanitarian rather than immoral or criminal.
In fact, I consider part-time teaching a honest, legitimate and morally justifiable way to supplement university lecturers salaries in contrast to the compulsory sales of textbooks at atrociously high prices which I consider criminal.
Some of us have not, and may never participate in such cross campus ventures because of the stress of shuttling between two, three or four universities trying to teach students who are not ready to learn.
There is a huge deficit of qualified academic staff in Nigeria. There are no sufficient incentives and resources to facilitate the training of the required academic manpower.
The oversea training of qualified Nigerian youths through the various scholarship schemes has only succeeded in contributing to the brain drain and capital flight.
The unthinkable is fast becoming the reality as some state governments have resorted to importing lecturers from other countries to mitigate the perennial shortage of lecturers in the country. We do not believe that this is the solution.
ASUU believes that the agreement signed in 2009 would improve the capacity to train more academic staff and ameliorate the situation on ground.
My most reverend primate, if you would like to contribute positively to the development of the educational system in Nigeria, kindly talk to those saddled with the responsibility of making decisions; maybe they will hear you.
