Thursday, 24 August 2017

NIgeria Education News Trends: ASUU Executives meet Friday to choose fate of in progress strike, The Guardian:-Increasing teachers’ retirement age as catalyst

The Academic workers Union of Universities, ASUU, can on Friday hold a National council meeting to work out the direction of the continued national strike, PREMIUM TIMES will report.


The meeting are holding after national branches equally command conferences on Wed to choose on whether or not the strike ought tocontinue or not. All branch chairmen ar expected to be in Abuja on weekday whereas the meeting is tentatively expected to finish on Sabbatum once that a call are communicated to Nigerians.

When contacted on the planned meeting, the ASUU President, Biodun Ogunyemi, same he would solely speak once the meeting had been command. “We cannot react currently however once the NEC meeting we'll speak on the developments,” he told PREMIUM TIMES on phone.

Several branch chairmen and officers spoken to declined to produce data on the choice of their branches on the strike, spoken communication that they had been asked to not speak to journalists. “We command special congresses nowadays. I cannot impart outcome of the meeting however we tend to command a gathering on the strike action,” Tomi plum, secretary of Lagos State University branch of ASUU same.

The chairman of another branch of the union in a very southern university additionally spoke on the interim report received from the branches. “From the Southern a part of the country and a few elements of the North, universities voted for continuation of the strike; however we tend to cannot tell currently till once the meeting of NEC,” the don same.

The union went on strike on August thirteen to protest against poor welfare and poor funding of universities, a move that semiconductor diode to the central tantalizing the body for negotiations. ASUU then sent the main points of the negotiation to its branches for additional deliberation.

The Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu had expressed hope that the strike would be suspended on. In a connected development, the metropolis zone of the union has condemned the “continued using of lecturers in University of Ilorin.”

The zonal organiser, potable Adejumo, WHO same this in a very press statement alleged that the administrator of the university, Ganiyu Ambali, was victimising ASUU members within the university, a scenario he same may lead to additional prolonging the continued national strike. Attempts to achieve Mr. Ambali established unsuccessful as he failed to answer phone calls or reply messages sent to him.

Increasing Teachers’ Retirement Age As Catalyst For Better Education


With the apparent want of the National Assembly to extend the retirement age of academics from sixty to sixty five years, their rewards currently appear sure to get on earth than in heaven, writes Head, Education table, Iyabo Lawal.

Glasses sitting exquisitely on the bridge of her nose, chalk in hand, with a back slightly bent, she gesticulated as she taught her category on elementary science. She loves kids and she or he has been teaching since she was eighteen years previous.

Mrs. Memunat Shobanjo is currently seventy five year old; retired from public service however not tired. She left her job as an instructor in a very public college regarding twenty years agone. despite the fact that Shobanjo would like to teach as long as she might, the 60-year retirement age for academics forced her out of job.

Fortunately for her, she has continued to pursue her passion in a very school. Not several academics do have that chance and that they find yourself sort of a stunning library that nobody visits to check.

Among loving professionals within the world, academics ar exemplary thanks to their want to need to stay impartation on tomorrow’s leaders – kids.
It is sunny news that the central is resolute increasing the retirement age of academics once abundant agitation by numerous teachers’ associations.

Little marvel, in August 2015, the Nigeria Union of academics in Kogi State known as on the then Governor Idris Wada to review service year of retirement for academics upwards to sixty five years to modify them provide their best within the profession.

The State chairman of NUT, Suleiman Abdullahi, had noted that the most effective brains within the teaching profession ar atrophy as a result of early retirement from service.

In view of that, Abdullahi was convinced that there's the requirement for the govt to regulate retirement age of academics, even as it did within the case of university lecturers and people within the judiciary.

“In the university system, it absolutely was discovered in the past by the central and it's been raised to seventy years,” he said.

Education consultants have noted that several academics WHO retire at the age of sixty ar still agile and mentally suitable teach within the category. they're of the opinion that it'll be a injury to throw them out of the general public service if they're willing and able to impact information.

With less variety of individuals taking real interest in teaching profession notably publicly colleges, the govt is also wise permit old academics to remain on the work as long as they're ready, some students noted.

In doing thus, the govt is charged to administer adequate attention to the remuneration and welfare of academics, particularly payment of salary, if it needs real restoration of the lost glory to public colleges.

“We can do lots if the retirement age is pushed to sixty five years, as a result of at the instant, we tend to ar losing the most effective hands during this profession. those that joined the teaching job between1979 and 1985 ar those that ar properly trained. this drawback is that employment into the teaching profession lately is by patronage.

“There isn't any quantity of workshops or seminars which will ginger academics to perform if there's no adequate remuneration and motivation for them. we've got well trained academics within the state however till the problem of welfare is taken care, you can't see effective results,” Abdullahi intercalary.

Part of the nemesis of the teaching profession, as those intimate with the education noted, is that the issue of political patronage.

Politicians ar usually defendant of giving teaching jobs to those that motor-assisted them to win elections, regardless of whether or not they will categorical themselves or be able to do the work.

In that same year, the varsity Head academics of Nigeria (AOPSHON), Domingo de Guzman Ondeku, explained that the speed, at that trained, active and productive academics ar retiring from service as a results of the thirty five years service policy, is alarming .

He said, “This has a negative impact on basic education within the state. we tend to ar suggesting a review of the service year of retirement to age of sixty five years.”

But a year once the Kogi State clamoured for increment in retirement age, Lagos State University raised its professors’ retirement age to seventy.
This is returning barely one month once the administrator, Prof. Olanrewaju Fagbohun, had claimed that retirement wasn't a part of the new amended LASU Bill

In might last year, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode approved a replacement retirement age for the teaching and non-teaching workers of the establishment.
“The new Section: forty two (6) of the Lagos State University (as amended) Law 2016 is as follows: Retirement Age: forty two (I) as from the commencement of this law, the retiring age for: – (a) educational workers within the academic cadre shall be seventy years; (b) educational workers (not in academic cadre) shall be sixty five years; and (c) Non-academic workers shall be sixty five years,” a bill by the government expressed.

The bill, signed into law on January five, 2016 by Ambode, puts the retirement age for educational workers at seventy and sixty five years for non-academic workers members.
The 2015 LASU modification Bill was associate improvement over 2 previous amendments in 1990 and 1992.

In a similar development, before the top of his tenure, former President Goodluck dessert apple had signed a law increasing the retirement of technical school and university lecturers.

That law additionally inflated retirement age of workers within the academic cadre and non-academic workers in Nigerian universities to seventy and sixty five years severally.

The president signed the law 5 months once the National Assembly passed the bill for the Act titled, ‘Retirement Age of workers of Polytechnics and faculties of Education (Harmonisation) Act, 2012 and also the Bill for associate Act to additional amend the schools (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act No. 11, 1993.’

The laws ar major elements of the Federal Government’s agreement with the varied tertiary establishment unions. The law additionally exempts the lecturers from the general public Service Rule, which needs someone to retire from the general public Service once serving for thirty five years.

Few months once these developments at the federal level and in Lagos State, the NUT vulnerable to start a strike action if the demand of its members that their retirement age ought to be inflated from sixty to sixty five years isn't met.
As a symbolic protest, the union selected the Teachers’ Day to drive home their purpose.

“In identical vein, the union calls on the govt to confirm that the advantages (gratuities and monthly pensions) of retired academics ar paid promptly.

“NUT restates its demands that the state governments ought to appreciate and take up their constitutional responsibility of providing and maintaining primary education, as well as the availability of funds for payments of academics salaries, in line with the 2002 judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria,” the pinnacle of the NUT, Alogba Olukoya, had said.

According to him, the union resolved to form 2016’s celebration restrained in thought of the economic recession within the country, that has adversely affected the welfare of academics, swish running of the varsity system and also the entire education sector.

Speaking stormily regarding the teaching profession, he charged the central to confirm that solely professionally trained and qualified persons ar engaged within the planned enlisting of five hundred,000 academics to push expertise and effective service delivery within the establishment.

NUT suggested the state governments to avoid promoting privatisation and development of education particularly at the first and secondary levels through the relinquishing of colleges to voluntary agencies within the pretense of seeking higher standards.

The union urged the Ministry of Education to deal with the problem of discrimination within the terminal grade levels of graduate academics in each primary and secondary colleges across the country by making certain a consistent theme of service for all academics.

But he warned, “It is time to require the bull by the horn. i would like to assure you what's customary is 2 we tend toeks once our academics’ day we hold our conferences and that we concern scenario report state-by-state touching on the stress of the Nigerian teachers. If in 2 we tend toeks’ time we meet and zilch positive is going on, don't expect the other directive, we'll decision Nigerian academics out on strike.”

It was no tiny joy once the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, confident Nigerian academics that the National Assembly would increase their retirement age from sixty to sixty five years to retain well-versed academics publicly colleges.

Dogara disclosed this once he received a delegation from the NUT WHO paid him a courtesy recently in Abuja.
The speaker same the House can support associate upward review of teachers’ retirement age to profit Nigerian kids.

“We have done it for the Tertiary establishments and also the Judiciary, thus nothing ought to stop USA from taking the bull by the horns. they are saying that wine gets higher with age. it absolutely was identical thought that driven USA to lift that of university lecturers, raised that of judges. thus this is often one thing we are able to pursue.

“Thankfully, it doesn’t need constitutional amendment; it's one thing we are able to bring home the bacon by amending the prevailing law. that's the responsibility of the parliament and that we assure you that we'll do one thing this.

“If we tend to don’t have those who can sacrifice their time and energy to impart information on our youngsters, then like I same, we've got lost the long run. This government that may be a government of amendment should be ready to alter the narrative by making certain that academics ar driven and also the condition during which they work ar tributary in the least levels, so they will deliver on their skilled line of work,” he said.

The speaker additionally suggested the union to channel their request for salaries of academics to be handed over to state governments or paid from first-line charge from the federation account through the Universal Basic Education Commission to the Constitution Review of the House of Representatives for thought.

But worthy because the proposal is, some stakeholders have delineate the move as inessential and in unhealthy religion.
Rather than review the retirement age, they posited that improved welfare and special pay scale ought to be approved for academics.

Lagos state Chairman, educational workers Union of Secondary colleges (ASUS) Kazeem Labaika delineate the concept as counter productive and should be discountenanced.

Labaika same if the previous ones refused to go away the system, state can still thrive among the young graduates.

“How will some individuals begin to clamour for such? Most of those those who ar well advanced in age and ar still within the system are not any a lot of productive; most of them don't even teach once more. they need become principals, head academics, and vice principals, why ought to they continue to be within the system once young graduates ar out there while not jobs? we tend to ar already getting ready our own position paper to the National Assembly, we tend to believe if the teaching profession is formed engaging, the younger ones can embrace it and also the society would be at an advantage.

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