There is a paradox
spending billions of Naira on education, yet the financial issues around
education are not being resolved. The Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, strike is only one of many matters that are dogging
education.Government’s supposed interests in negotiating with
ASUU, the speed being applied, and the uttermost neglect of other
aspects of education confirm the diminishing importance that governments
attach to education.ASUU’s case is exceptional, in that
governments appeared concerned. When the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics, ASUP, went on strike, it took almost three months before
governments started talking to the union. The issue remains partially
resolved.With the ASUU strike, the failure of governments and
their programmes are obvious. Governments sign agreements they do not
intend to keep. ASUU is on strike over a 2009 agreement. Governments
want to re-negotiate implementation of a four-year-old agreement.They
also know that the negotiations for a new agreement are due. We have
governments that plan for immediate needs, if they ever do. They are
exhausting themselves over ASUU strike as if meeting ASUU’s demands
would resolve the challenges that our education faces, among them
irrelevant curricula.How do governments spend billions of Naira
they budget annually for education? Bureaucracy consumes the bulk of the
money. Duplication of agencies that manage education is the biggest
cost centre in our national education management. Governments are
running up new costs.New higher institutions are being built with
emphases on physical structures. Laboratories, libraries and research
centres that they require to be centres for meaningful academic
engagements are available in inadequate numbers.It is absurd that
governments — the owners of the universities — would need an ASUU
strike to determine the status of the facilities in universities.What
plans do governments have for education? How would they tackle
sustainable funding so that we are not soon back to another wave of
strikes in a matter of months? Would governments ever consider
education important enough that it should run without disruptions from
strike? There would be no easy solutions. Many of the federal
agencies on education just drain resources that should have been
invested in improving learning facilities. States imitate the federal
waste, making education one of governments’ biggest cost centres,
without commensurate value for the expenditures.Governments can
save costs by eliminating duplication in the functions of education
agencies. There should be clearer lines about the roles of governments
at different levels of education. The Federal Government should not be
dabbling into primary school education.Finally, the future of
education is too important to be left to haphazard funding. Governments
should provide resources for education beyond ASUU’s demands.
spending billions of Naira on education, yet the financial issues around
education are not being resolved. The Academic Staff Union of
Universities, ASUU, strike is only one of many matters that are dogging
education.Government’s supposed interests in negotiating with
ASUU, the speed being applied, and the uttermost neglect of other
aspects of education confirm the diminishing importance that governments
attach to education.ASUU’s case is exceptional, in that
governments appeared concerned. When the Academic Staff Union of
Polytechnics, ASUP, went on strike, it took almost three months before
governments started talking to the union. The issue remains partially
resolved.With the ASUU strike, the failure of governments and
their programmes are obvious. Governments sign agreements they do not
intend to keep. ASUU is on strike over a 2009 agreement. Governments
want to re-negotiate implementation of a four-year-old agreement.They
also know that the negotiations for a new agreement are due. We have
governments that plan for immediate needs, if they ever do. They are
exhausting themselves over ASUU strike as if meeting ASUU’s demands
would resolve the challenges that our education faces, among them
irrelevant curricula.How do governments spend billions of Naira
they budget annually for education? Bureaucracy consumes the bulk of the
money. Duplication of agencies that manage education is the biggest
cost centre in our national education management. Governments are
running up new costs.New higher institutions are being built with
emphases on physical structures. Laboratories, libraries and research
centres that they require to be centres for meaningful academic
engagements are available in inadequate numbers.It is absurd that
governments — the owners of the universities — would need an ASUU
strike to determine the status of the facilities in universities.What
plans do governments have for education? How would they tackle
sustainable funding so that we are not soon back to another wave of
strikes in a matter of months? Would governments ever consider
education important enough that it should run without disruptions from
strike? There would be no easy solutions. Many of the federal
agencies on education just drain resources that should have been
invested in improving learning facilities. States imitate the federal
waste, making education one of governments’ biggest cost centres,
without commensurate value for the expenditures.Governments can
save costs by eliminating duplication in the functions of education
agencies. There should be clearer lines about the roles of governments
at different levels of education. The Federal Government should not be
dabbling into primary school education.Finally, the future of
education is too important to be left to haphazard funding. Governments
should provide resources for education beyond ASUU’s demands.
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